Red Sand, Black Sea
by Starfire93
Summary: What happens when Gaara from Naruto crosses paths with one that is destined for him? Can he avoid fate or will he welcome real love?
1. chapter 1

**Hello there. I recently discovered Naruto, and I have a lot of love for Gaara. I understand that he's his own man. But, I just wanted to give him a lady. I think he deserves to experience true love. This story takes place immediately after the Kage meeting where Gaara agrees to an arranged marriage. There will be many chapters and weekly or biweekly updates. I don't own Gaara or any of Naruto. Please favor, follow, and review if you enjoy. Thanks for reading!**

Endurance. That was the way of the Shinobi. In the dry, desert land of Sunakagure, Kazekage Gaara had just agreed to an arranged marriage to a woman he never met. His people needed money desperately. What other choice did he have? He would endure this just as he endured the pain of being a jinchuriki. Just as he endured loneliness. Just as he endured war. Just as he endured everything.

Resigning himself to his new fate, he was surprised when a letter summoned him to a distant land mere days before he was supposed to meet his bride-to-be. But, this new need took precedence. He took a squad of soldiers with him on a small boat to make the short voyage over the sea. A Shinobi was supposed to be prepared for anything. To sense what cannot be sensed and to see what cannot be seen. But as skilled as he was, Gaara was of the desert, not of the sea. The sea is unpredictable and ever-changing. Five sets of Shinobi eyes did not see the storm coming until it was too late. Did not see the boat sinking until it was too late. Gaara did not sense or see anything when the air was forced from his lungs as he was pulled down, down, down into the murky black depths of an unforgiving ocean.

 _"So this, again? Dying? Feels different than before."_ That was Gaara's last conscious thought as he sank under the waves. He didn't hear the thunder roar above the ocean. He didn't feel the hands that wrapped around him and began to pull him upwards. He didn't see the ones that did the same for all his men. For three long days as he lay comatose.

No thoughts.

No naruto waking him.

Just blackness.

Was this death?

No.

His eyes fluttered open and he was shocked to find his four accompanying soldiers standing by his bedside, along with two men, both over six feet tall, one with long, blonde hair, the other with short, black hair, both with thick brows. They wore only loose trousers, exposing their barrel-shaped chests that were so hardened they looked more like brick walls standing than men. The men were talking to each other, when one slapped the other's arm and pointed at Gaara. "He wakes!" He hissed in a whisper.

Gaara's head spun as he tried to remember, tried to think. He saw the two men approaching his bed, one of them spoke. "You are Gaara of Suna, the Kazekage."

Gaara's minty green eyes looked at him, apprehensive. "Yes."

"I am Vassar." The blonde man said, "and I am Mathis." The black haired one replied. "We are the Queen's personal guards. Your boat seems to have been destroyed. Your land is far away, the Queen pulled you and your slaves from the water."

Gaara's brow furrowed as he took in what they said. "They are not slaves, they are soldiers. I….I have to get back…...People are waiting on me, counting on me. They'll think I'm dead, they'll elect a new…"

"We have already sent a messenger. Your people are safe." Vassar explained as his barrel chest felt like he was speaking to a great beast of burden instead of a person. There was no delicacy or softness about either of them. Hard, chiseled, merciless.

"I have to get back!" Gaara insisted. "The people are counting on me! I'm to be married!"

"To your love?" Mathis interrupted, a surprising softness in his tone.

"Uh…...well, uh…... I've never met her." Gaara said slowly as two thick sets of brows raised.

"Then why do you marry her?" Vassar asked cuttingly.

"Our country has recently gone through a Great War. Many people are hurting, but without the money to-"

"So you will prostitute yourself for your people?" Vassar grinned.

"That's not what I said!" Gaara said, irritated, he looked from left to right and saw his gourd and sand had somehow been saved. At least that was a small relief. He may have to use it later.

The two massive men exchanged dark chuckles, "We must be granted permission before we can do anything, although it is…..Thursday. The Queen hates to be disturbed on Thursday." Vassar said, as his face fell, looking over at Mathis, Gaara could see sweat forming on his brow.

"So?" Mathis replied. "I did it last time. Your turn." He said with a smirk.

Vassar looked defeated and gestured to the sand Shinobi. They helped Gaara up, and with the two large men in front, were lead down a long corridor. The procession stopped when the hallway dead-ended in front of two massive, metal doors, engraved with symbols Gaara had never seen.

The seven stopped and Vassar looked hopefully at Mathis who snorted and said, "I said it was your turn."

Slowly, Mathis reached out and placed a shaking hand on the left door, seeming to undo a kind of lock on the door.

And then it was opened.

And Gaara was moved like never before.

Gaara's pupils widened as his body froze, a Shinobi, much less the Kazekage should have been strong against anything but this hit him so hard. The most melodious, voluptuous sound he had ever heard filled his ears. An almost other-worldly melody furled around the walls of the large room he was looking into, flowing, wafting, and resonating with him so much all he could do was stand still and listen. Mouth agape. It was only when his men began to push him forward did he remember he had legs and feet too. Imagine that. What was that noise? What were those sounds? It sounded almost like a voice, a female voice. Female voices? No, male voices too, maybe. He could think of nothing to describe it, it sounded like peace, it sounded like war, it sounded like one, but it sounded like many. The room was massive, dark, and seemingly empty, save for the lapping of water against a large pool directly in the middle.

As they grew closer to a large, circular opening in this vast room, it became apparent that it wasn't what, it was who. No words, just soft, rippling sounds of pure joy. Gaara felt joy, strangely enough, wrecked in this strange land. Where was it coming from though?

As soon as they all crossed the doorway, the sounds stopped and Gaara felt a pang of sadness wrench his heart. Was it possible to hear that again? All of them gathered around the pool in the center of the room, and watched the water. Vassar took a deep breath and leaned over, Gaara's eyes widened as he touched the water and strangely, began to sing:

 _Highness, we know that rest is needed to you,_

 _We would never ask what we cannot do,_

 _We need your mind and we need you from the sea,_

 _Please listen to your people, please hear our plea_

Once his short song was finished, he drew back and waited, listening. Gaara did not know what he was expecting, but he was not expecting the harsh response that came. That same sound, now formed into words that stung like arrows.

 _What reason have you found now_

 _What reason now, indeed_

 _That you wake me from my slumber_

 _From my sleep in the sea?_

The reply flowed from the water, vexed and hot. Dark, smooth, like black silk. Gaara felt the ominous anger rumble from the water, through him and it chilled him. It chilled Gaara, who had killed thousands.

Gaara's eyes drifted to the water when silence fell again and he saw what looked like two burning sapphires staring at him from the pool. They were so intense it took him several seconds to realize they were eyes. The water sloshed, and two hands appeared on the edge of the pool. A figure began to rise. Vassar and Mathis's eyes widened as they scrambled to grab a white cloth, holding it up to cover the emerging body.

The Kazekage's jaw dropped. This was like no other female he had ever seen. Gaara really wasn't one to pay attention to looks, but this woman's visage commanded attention. It was not that she was not beautiful, it was that beautiful wasn't enough to describe her. She looked nothing like the two men, hair that seemed to be as much of a mystery as she was, in the darkness, black, in the slant of light that came in from the ceiling, it was chromatic to the point of looking straw yellow in parts. Her body was slender but curvy, lithe and muscular, not in the way of the Shinobi, but with a much more regal elegance. An elegance that dictated that this body was made for far greater purposes than fighting and war. A certain unused strength kissed her figure. Long, slender, powerful, delicate, those were the curves and outlines of her muscles. Graceful, strong shoulders and a sloping, elegant neck were the perfect frame for her finely set face, and those brilliant sapphires that flamed at him from their deep-set sockets.

Gaara stood with wide eyes and open mouth. He was terrified. He had faced many, but never one that scared him this badly.

Vassar hurriedly wrapped the sheet around her to form a makeshift dress before anything could be seen from her bare body, although her vast volume of hair would have easily covered her.

Vassar and Mathis began to explain to the woman what was going on with Gaara, who Gaara was, and what he needed. It was only then that The redhead realized his cheeks were hot, he was blushing. He had never been near a naked woman, even though he hadn't seen anything, he was still trembling.

At the same time, a man as tall and massive as Vassar and Mathis burst into the room with a scream, "MERMAAAAIDDS!" The man began ranting as he reached to grab the woman by the wrist. Now three men stood yelling in competition with the other before the woman finally held her head and screamed, "ENOUGH!"

Chaos was replaced by silence. She pointed to Gaara, "Fools! It was I who plucked him from the raging waves, I know of him and I know of his needs!" She fumed at Vassar and Mathis. Then she turned and slapped the large newcomer across the mouth, "You don't touch me first, you know better." She said with narrowed eyes. "But, your majesty, the mermaids are attacking on the north shore! You are the weapon! You have to sing, now!" He yelled, holding his cheek.

A groan of sheer irritation tore from her throat, long and slow, as she opened a large window in the dark room and peered out into the sea, watching the waves ripple unnaturally as something ominous approached. "Drat!" She hissed. "No, no, no, no, NO, **NO!** She does this every day I have off, just to irritate me! Just to irritate! I will not sing for a few mermaids. I will kiss. Go get those excuses for soldiers I have and tell them to get in here. With my kiss, they'll be invincible, they can have her out there all night, she'll relent eventually." She sighed in annoyance,"She always does.", more to herself than anyone as she climbed to the shallow end of the pool.

While the man disappeared, she looked over at Gaara and the others, "Apologizes, Kazekage, was it? Just give me one second here." She barely got the words out before men began filing in the room, each walked up, had a kiss from the queen placed on their forehead, and dove into the black depths of the sea. Gaara looked on in bewilderment, what strange battle tactics was this?

Once all ten had been sent off, she turned back to Gaara and the others. "Alright," She said with a weighted sigh, "You are Gaara, Kazekage of Sunakagure, friend of Naruto. I am Queen Asherah, of Skorgan. What can I do for you?" She asked. _How does she know Naruto?!_ Gaara thought, but before he could speak Vassar and one of his soldiers spoke for him, explaining everything to her. Once they were finished, the Queen's eyes became slits, "Yes, as I stated earlier I pulled him from the sea. I am aware he needs a boat, it has been taken care of. " She said, cutting her sapphire eyes at her two guards who cowered at her disapproving gaze.

She spoke again to Gaara and her tone softened, "Your people suffer without you and you without them. I can end that suffering. I know suffering, yes, I know it far too well. Unfortunately, it will take over a week to build, but don't worry." She finished with a kind smile. A gorgeous, genuine bright smile that lit up her face even more, as she came to stand before him directly. Gaara's breath stopped. He felt as if her shiny, shiny eyes would bore into his soul as she slowly reached a hand up to touch his face.

"You will not disrespect the Kazekage!" A soldier said, jumping in front of Gaara suddenly. A tension filled the air as Vassar and Mathis trembled, anxious about how her majesty would react. "Apologies." Came the woman's voice, calm and drippingly sweet. "I do what I please and I please as I do, but, I did not realize you were his mother." She said slyly to the soldier as she paced away. "Mother?! How dare you!" The soldier scowled as a drop of sweat ran down Gaara's brow. "For the leader of a great people…..I would think a man like _you_ speaking for _him_ would be the greatest insult of _all._ " She smirked as the soldier gasped and began to apologize profusely to Gaara.

"A messenger has been sent to Sunakagure, your people are safe under our protection." She replied, sweetly, laying a hand on Gaara's cheek to cradle it tenderly. Gaara was still at a loss for words as jade eyes crushed against sapphires. He felt so strangely comforted by her touch, no one, not even his loving sister had ever laid their hands on him like this. Well, maybe they had, one day long ago, but not that he could remember. Time and space were lost in that second for Gaara. "Trust in that." She said, in a hushed tone as her petal soft fingers gently stroked Gaara's face like it was made of glass.

Suddenly, her hand slipped off his face and came to clasp over her chest with a closed fist as she fell to her knees, hissing between clenched teeth. Gaara looked reached out to help her but Vassar darted in front only a second before him. "Majesty…." Vassar began, picking her up and placing her small frame in the water once more.

"I'm not a weapon, I'm a human being. How much can you take before there's none I have left to give?" She asked, a sadness creeping into her sapphire eyes as she looked up at Vassar from the water. She hung over the side of the tub panting for air, arm still clutched over her chest. "You have what you wanted. Leave me now, leave me with my guest, and my guest alone. So I wish it, so it will be." Asherah said quietly. Vassar and Mathis scrambled to escort the soldiers out, repeating that last sentence in low whispers.

Then it was just her and Gaara in that wet, dark place. He could hear her labored breathing slow in the water to a normal pace, hear the splash as she took her arm down, but he couldn't detect any chakra. Questions on top of questions tumbled through his mind before they all came to a stop when he heard a simple, melodic call from the water.

"Gaara of Suna, come to me."


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello again! Thanks for reading! I don't own Gaara or any of naruto, please follow, favor, and or review if you enjoy!**

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Gaara's heart stood still and his breath caught in his throat as he turned to face Asherah. "How much?" She asked, her face relaxing as the doors closed, a small smirk settling onto her rosebud lips. "How much what?" Gaara asked, fumbling. "My guards tell me you are a prostitute King ." The Queen giggled. Gaara frowned and his cheeks burned. "I-" "That's all you are if you marry someone to get money." Asherah cut him off. "They told me that you're dangerous, that you're a monster. That you were given your office because of the power you possess." Gaara scowled, after finally getting people to accept him, here he was, being judged again. "And what do you think of that?" His voice rasped from his throat. Asherah shrugged and laughed. "I think I've been called worse." Her laughter rang out as Gaara tried to keep his scowl, but felt himself wanting to smile. It was rare that he had those moments. "Today is the day of rest, tomorrow is the day of presentation. I think you'll be here for that, and for that I am truly glad. " Asherah said to Gaara as her eyes softened. The two spent the next hour discussing Suna and Gaara's office as Kazekage. Gaara was flattered by the respect Asherah seemed to show him, listening to every word he had to say and thinking about it. She asked questions about what he said, intelligent, deep questions.

Awkwardness filled the air when she asked about Gaara's childhood. The only sound in the room was the water as it lapped against the pool. Gaara looked down, not knowing what to say. He should not mention his past to a stranger, especially a leader of another land. "People hurt you." Jade eyes widened as the statement rang out, so sure, so confident. _Was it that obvious?_ "People are afraid of you, so they use your own authority to control you." Asherah said, almost more to herself than to him as she mused. "I—-yes." He frowned as he thought. Asherah was quiet, she only nodded. "People hurt me too. I used _my_ power to _move_ the people that controlled me and now I use my power to protect." "What do you protect?" Gaara asked. "Whatever needs protecting. Standing up for what's right doesn't make you a monster, but bowing to others makes you a puppet." She said, finishing with a giggle as she tapped her index finger suddenly against Gaara's nose, diving back into the pool as the large doors opened yet again.

Gaara thought about what she had said as Vassar walked up beside him. "Come, Kazekage, I will show you to your room." He said. Gaara glanced back to the water. _Where had she gone? Was that it?_ "Tomorrow is the day of presentation, you need to rest. Trust in what I say, she is the ocean's for the night. Poseidon himself couldn't pull her from the sea." He said as he put his hand on Gaara's shoulder and began to lead him out.

Right before they crossed the threshold of the room, Gaara's heart lifted as he began to hear that same otherworldly sound rising again from the water and off the walls. That night as he laid in bed, he thought about his meeting with this strange new woman today. She was confusing to him. He didn't really know what to think, his interactions with females were not experienced to say the least. What was this day of presentation? What was being presented? He fell asleep with a few fleeting thoughts, _beautiful, intelligent, odd._ A soft smile came across his face as he finally drifted off. Once he wanted to destroy everyone in the world, but he was glad he hadn't now for a new reason.

The next morning came bright and early as Gaara was told to shower, change, and meet Vassar outside the large room he had been given. "Why?" Was the sleepy question the Kazekage asked. "You are requested at the Queen's court." Came the stiff reply from the tall man. Gaara scowled and did as he was told, meeting and walking with Vassar down a long hallway. They came to a large room with massive arched ceilings, beautiful paintings that covered the room from top to bottom. Each one depicted a different scene, battles, marriages, births, deaths. At the end of the long room, there was a very gilded, very old throne, several seats lower down and across were empty, although in the same platform. Many people were already inside, looking around, waiting. Gaara looked over everyone, as Vassar sat himself and Gaara down beside the throne to look over the crowd. A thick silver carpet ran, five feet wide, from the throne to the door.

They had not been sitting long when several men filed into the room and set up a choir beginning to sing reverent, lamentful notes.

 _The land was young_

 _The rivers pale_

 _When our mighty King_

 _At first set sail_

 _His heart was not yet_

 _Broken or beaten_

 _Until the ocean wet_

 _Saw it eaten_

 _Sweet Odessa,_

 _Rose from the sea_

 _And to his cold heart_

 _Turned the key_

The doors flung open and a dazzling sight entered. Gaara barely recognized Asherah under all of her makeup, some glittery substance was applied from her forehead to her shoulders, black fibers attached to her eyelashes and gold paste smudged on her eyelids, her lips painted ruby red. Her hair had been shined and it looked much different dry. Still many colors, but very, very dark in the back, gold in the front, voluminous, wavy. It reminded Gaara of a lion's mane. She wore a long skirt and a strapless top that covered her mid chest, that shimmered with the same sparkling flecks her guard's armor had. Her arms and abdomen were covered with the same glittery paste, three ladies carried the long cape the trailed behind her. She looked like a great queen.

 _From their union_

 _Our sweet Queen reigns_

 _But to the ocean,_

 _Her heart remains_

 _Stay with us Asherah,_

 _Rightful Queen of Skorgan_

 _Your people would Perish_

 _If you were gone_

As they finished, the ladies let go of her cape and she slowly turned to sit on her throne, holding her hand open. A scepter, as long as she was, was placed by one of her ladies into her hand. The entire scepter was covered in diamonds, diamonds adorned her arms in massive cuffs, from wrist to elbow, diamonds sat on each finger, curled and covering the nail in a faux talon. Gaara realized that was the sparkling in the armor and her outfit. Small diamonds sewn in.

Gaara had no use for extravagance, but he did know that a diamond was the hardest substance on earth. Pit against bone, the bone would break first. He silently praised the Skorgan mentality to show off wealth and power by making weapons out of artful clothing. "It's a beautiful defense, kind of like me." She smirked as she looked over at Gaara. _Can she read my thoughts?_ He asked himself. Asherah nodded to Vassar, who stood up, and clapped his hands, the Queen tapped her scepter against the floor. The door opened and a Skorgan citizen came in to ask a question of the queen. One after another, civil disputes, advice seekers, hungry wanting food, people with problems, people who just wanted to give praise.

Gaara was particularly struck by how many simply came to tell her what a great job she was doing or how happy they were she was their Queen. Despite her boldness yesterday, Asherah was a picture perfect queen, refined, insightful, caring, regal, elegant. She took the time with each person, no matter what they asked or needed. Each was given that and more. Gaara sat quietly and listened, learning more about Skorgan and it's ruler throughout the day.

"How many more?" She whispered to Vassar, at the end of the day as the sun sat. "A suitor and that's all." He reassured her as an angry looking man burst into the room, his eyes full of frustration, two men walked behind him carrying a large chest. He threw up both hands at the queen as he spoke, "Hear me, o Asherah of Skorgan! I cannot eat or sleep since hearing your song on the sea! I bring you a tribute worthy of 100 kings as my heart is yours and only yours! Have me, Kaamon of the Far North as your husband!" Gaara's eyes widened in shock, he felt an unfamiliar sting, no, maybe a sadness? What was it? What did it matter if the Queen married this man? He had his own matters of such to tend.

He looked to see Asherah's expression, turning in time to see a brow raise in a confident smirk. "Address me 'your majesty'". She said, slowly. "Your majesty", the man named Kaamon repeated after her like it was a song title. "What's in the chest?" She asked.

It was set before her and opened to reveal thousands and thousands of diamonds. Her sapphire eyes lit up and she moved forward to rake her faux talon-clad fingers through them before turning to the man. "I will consider your proposal, but be warned, I rule but am not ruled. My will is like the ocean I belong to, volatile and resolute all at once. You are given no guarantees." Her eyes bored into Kaamon as she hissed the last word. "None are expected, my Queen." The man said as he bowed in front of her, placing his hands on the carpet. Asherah looked bored, as she had clearly seen and heard this before by many others, she whispered to Vassar as she sat down, "Clear the room, I tire." And as he was doing so, Mathis came to pick up the chest, "shall I set it with the others, your majesty?" "No, it shall be sent with Gaara of Suna, for his life and his people." She said as Gaara's mouth fell open at her generous act of goodwill. "Take your freedom back, Gaara of Suna." were the last words she spoke to the redhead on presentation day. Her hand came to clutch at her chest again soon after and she fell over. This time, Gaara was the first to catch her, his sand forming a bed for her on the floor to break the impact. One question formed in his mind as he heard Vassar and Mathis rushing to get to her, " _Why, Asherah? Why help me?"_


	3. Chapter 3 A Game?

**Hello everyone! Thanks for reading! Sorry this is kind of short, I am at Supercon this weekend but wanted to stay on schedule! Please favor, follow, and or review if you enjoy! I do not own Gaara or any of naruto!**

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Through the large window, Gaara could hear the clanging of hammers building the ship that would send him and his soldiers home as he sat beside Skorgan's unconscious queen. When Asherah collapsed, he was much more exasperated than her guards. They had calmly gathered her and placed her on the top of the water in that large room that she and Gaara had met. That was hours ago, now it was late at night. Gaara was used to being up late though, given his past. Even though, he had been reassured, for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to close his eyes until he saw hers open. He looked at her face in the moonlight, her expression was soft and relaxed. He looked back out the window at the boat builders. Then back at her.

This time sapphire eyes looked back.

"Gaara of Suna." She said with a small smile, surprised he was there. The redhead blinked, "Are you alright?" The queen placed her hands over her abdomen as she floated on the water. "I'm afraid I used more of the weapon than I thought." She smiled. Gaara looked puzzled. "I have an...an unusual parentage and my heart has an extra chamber. I was born with it." She looked up at the stone ceiling above them. "It makes life under water perfect, but sometimes life above it becomes a struggle."

Gaara frowned as he thought, he was going to speak but he thought it would be rude to press on. "I'm glad to see you are feeling better. I'll leave you to rest." He said in his usual, formal manner, rising to leave. "You have questions for me." Her reply stopped him in his tracks. Again, another confident true statement spoken like she could read his mind. "You needn't be afraid to ask me. I'll make a trade with you. A question for a question. You get one, I get one." She said playfully, rolling slowly over in the water so that her elbows rested on the edge of the pool. "Stay, play awhile." She smiled and her teeth were so white against her blue eyes they almost seemed to glow.

For some reason, Gaara could feel his cheeks heating up as he slowly, somewhat warily walked over and sat beside her. "Alright, shall I go first?" He asked and she nodded in mock seriousness. "As the royal guest, I will permit you to start." She chuckled, giving him a warm smile that he found himself returning before he could think. "Why did you give the stones to me?" He asked. "You do not know me or my people. Why help us in such a way?" Asherah looked amused. "The people of Suna suffer, their suffering oppresses you. I do not like suffering or oppression. With my gift, I can end some suffering and oppression if only in a small way."

Gaara looked thoughtful at that. "My turn," Asherah began, "What is that sand you have?" "That sand is my mother's parting gift to me. To protect me, and so I can use it to protect others." Gaara said with a nod. "I'm sorry." Asherah frowned. "My parents are gone too." "What happened to yours?" Gaara asked his next question immediately, curious. Had she lost the same way he had?

"What do you mean? They are not dead, at least I don't think they are, they are simply gone from this place." She frowned. "What about yours?" Gaara's expression of confusion changed to a very dark grimace. "My father was….murdered, and my mother, died giving birth to me. My siblings have stood in as best they could."

Jade eyes widened as he looked down and saw Asherah clasp one of her hands over his and squeeze tight out of pure sympathy, "Then I am even more sorry to hear that. At least you had siblings to stop the loneliness." She smiled. Suddenly, Gaara's grimace changed to a scowl and he quickly retracted his hand. "What do you know of loneliness?" Asherah let him go and swam over to the window, rising out of the water with her back turned to him so her skin was visible in the moonlight, her cropped top only hiding a section of ribs. In the moonlight, Gaara could see the long, scrawled, silver scars that were embedded deep, deep into the skin. Up and down the back, to the neck and around the arms, they curled and wound. It looked like flesh had been pulled away and re-attached. She spoke as she gazed out at the ocean, "Born the only child to the King, I am the true heir. The King, my father, unfortunately….well, his queen, did not see it that way. Abandoned by my parents, I was placed in a golden cage that eventually turned to iron. I had many friends in the rats that came to eat with me during those days. That was before I knew what I could do and who I was."

Gaara was silent for a moment. "I want another." "Another what?" Asherah said as she turned around. "Another question." The Kazekage replied quietly. "I'll allow it." Asherah nodded. "Why did the Queen abandon you, her daughter?"

Asherah smirked at him. "My father loved music, loved it with all his heart, all his mind, all his body." She said with a laugh as she danced her arms across the water top. "He loved it so much, he played the most beautiful songs. Beautiful! On a voyage, he played such beautiful music that a group of sirens came to his ship. Odessa, the daughter of beauty itself, came on board to listen. Odessa is my mother. The former Queen was very _displeased_." Asherah laughed at Gaara's horrified expression.

Gaara looked too stunned to answer a question now, so Asherah went on. "I am Asherah, siren queen of Skorgan. Damned to serve the same passions I was conceived out of. Love, lust, ocean, and of all the beauty music has to offer. I was doomed from the beginning to lead these people, to belong to the sea. And to suffer for it. I stood when they said I would fall, I walked when they said I would stumble, and now I rule when they say I will not. In the ten years of my reign, we have never known war or famine, pestilence or sorrow. I am hated by the elites and our neighbors for that. But I am here to stay." She finished as she looked at Gaara. "Will you marry her still?" "W-what?" Gaara responded,still processing that last speech. The Shinobi was actually caught off guard. "Your bride you have been enslaved to? Still?" She persisted as she moved to be almost nose to nose with Gaara.

Slowly, ever so slowly, sapphire eyes drifted up to meet jade ones. She inclined her head so that her lips were inches from his and they parted slightly. Gaara's heart pounded in his chest as he began to sweat profusely. What was this?! What was happening?! Was she going to steal his first kiss?! But, if she did, would he stop her?

"Is that what you want?" Came Asherah's whisper, each syllable hitting his lips directly, going straight into his chest. All of the blood rushed to his head. What was this? What was this frail but powerful being doing to him? Gaara's head swam, that same joyful sensation came over him that he had when he heard her sing, he had never known a woman, never kissed, but he was ready, he was oh so ready for this. To hell with stopping her.

Instinct took over and he closed his eyes, leaning forward. Blood pounded in his ears as he felt her petal soft lips brush his just enough to touch as she whispered, barely loud enough to hear. "You're a _fool_ if you do." And by the time he opened his eyes, she had disappeared under the water, her laughter ringing through the room.

Gaara felt very dizzy from that experience and stumbled against the wall, not having the energy to make it back to his room before he leaned his head back on the wall and closed his eyes. In his dreams, he could hear that same laughter interwoven with the melody of her song. Or was it a dream at all? What was this creature doing to him?


	4. Chapter 4 - The Broken Heart

**Thanks for reading! I don't own any of naruto! Please favor, follow, review, comment, etc if you enjoy!**

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Gaara woke the next morning in the same large room with the pool in it. No queen to be found. Not knowing what to do, he stood up and gazed into the water. Would she surface to greet him?

She did not.

After what felt like a lifetime, Vassar came to collect him. "As her majesty's guest, you're welcome to explore as you wish." He told the Kazekage. "Where is the Queen?" Gaara asked, curious. Exploring, sure, but his time waned here, he wanted to see her, to speak with her. "When she wants you to know, you'll know." Vassar chuckled. Gaara threw him a dark glare, thinking he was being sarcastic but the large man shrugged. "Even I do not know. When she wants me to know, I will."

The Kazekage frowned, disappointed. Vassar walked on to tend some of his guard duties and Gaara eventually wandered out onto the beach behind the palace. He looked from left to right and admired the beauty. The sea was so dark it looked black against the dark sand. Gaara didn't see the ocean often, being from Suna, but he had never witnessed a beach with black sand before. It was a mesmerizing sight. Large, charcoal colored rocks dotted the shore and the tide beat against them.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" A voice behind him whispered as he turned. He thought he felt a presence. "Yes, I-!" He gasped and his cheeks flushed blood red as he looked to see Asherah, standing behind him, completely naked. Her pale body a stark contrast against the bleakly colored landscape. Long, black, brown, and honey blonde hair dangled all around hair, blowing in the wind, just enough to cover her breasts. Her creamy thighs framing the apex of her groin, which was also concealed by her long hair. Gaara could see the smooth muscle that stretched over her abdomen, making a frame for her navel. And her sapphire eyes bore into his. Pink, plump lips sitting under high cheekbones. Strong, shoulders, elegant collarbone that showcased her slender neck.

As soon as he came to his senses, he immediately looked away. He had never seen a woman naked! What did she think she was doing?! "I-I-I-y-you're not wearing any clothes." Gaara stammered, thinking of how stupid he sounded. He felt as shocked as he did at the meeting with the elders when they announced his engagement. "This is how I was born, this is how I will die. Why should I be ashamed of my body?" Asherah replied with a giggle. "What are you doing?" She asked, as Gaara, still looking away, took off his red coat and handed it over to her. "A lady should be covered. People do not do that where I am from." He said, hoping she would take it. He shifted as he noticed his pants had grown uncomfortably tight for some reason. "I am not a lady, I am a siren." Asherah pouted. "But, if it will make you comfortable, I will acquiesce." She said, taking the coat and putting it on. "I am finished." She stated, as Gaara looked over. His cheeks still burning a bright pink.

At least she was covered now. From head to toe, like his people. Somehow, she seemed more approachable like this. Gaara liked that. "You are bored?" Asherah asked as she began to walk along the beach. Gaara joined her. "No, I was just wondering where you had gone." "I am always, near." Asherah chuckled. "Your boat will be ready soon." She said, a hint of sadness in her voice. "Yes." Gaara nodded, the same sadness in his. He wanted to get back to Suna, to his people. He just wished Asherah was one of those people.

They walked in silence awhile. Gaara's foot brushed against something in the tide. "Oh, be careful." Asherah said, kneeling down in the water to cup a green and blue plant in her hands. "It's a broken heart." She smiled, looking up at Gaara. "A what?" He asked, bending down to look at it. Gaara loved his cacti, and even though it was aquatic, it looked kind of like a cactus. Long, green stems, and oddly shaped, pale blue flowers dotting here and there. "A broken heart. There's a legend on Skorgan, that once a mermaid was slaughtered on these shores. When her lover found her, his heart broke, and he died for her sake on the tide. From his tears, these strange plants grow." Asherah said with a smile. "Traditionally, they are given, with a white ribbon, from suitor to bride as a gesture of faith and devotion." Gaara looked sad but reverent. "That is a beautiful custom."

"So you like them?" Asherah asked as she stood up and they began to walk again. "Yes, and I love cultivating cacti. I have an entire room back in Suna full of them. It leaves me with a feeling of contentment to watch something else grow." He told her enthusiastically, beaming. Asherah smiled at him as they walked along. An epiphany struck Gaara. He realized that same feeling of contentment was replicated here on the beach with this woman. He was content. Even away from his people, his sand, and his cacti. It was sobering to think all this would be in the past in a few days.

A thought made him brave. "Your majesty," he began, learning to address her properly from his past Skorgan experiences. "You can call me by my name, Gaara." She said, leaving off his suffix, showing him he could speak freely. If Gaara had eyebrows, they would have risen. "Asherah," he began, but Asherah cut him off. "Go home, Gaara. Build your hospitals, house your needy. Feed the hungry, help your hurting. My people flourish, I have no such things to do. Once you are finished, I plan on paying Suna a visit to see how my diamonds have been used." She said, answering his question with a knowing smile. Happiness touched the usually stoic Kazekage's face.

Gaara noticed as they walked that ship after ship came to dock at the port several miles out from the palace. Asherah saw him. "They are only performers for the Skald." She said calmly. "What's a skald?" Gaara asked. "There has to be a way to maintain peace." Asherah began. "I firmly believe music can connect people. Music can bridge a gap. I am the weapon, I can send an enemy's army back. I can rip men to pieces, make them slaves, make them do whatever I ask." She smirked, "but people have to connect to each other. Music. Music is passion. Music is how people express themselves. You can be free in music." She told Gaara. "When I took the throne, 10 years ago at the tender age of 8, I decided every so often, Skorgan will have a 'Skald'. An entire night of music, of dancing. Every able-bodied citizen is required to participate."

"So you force people to dance?" Gaara asked, not understanding. Asherah shook her head, "Music and dance are in our blood. I merely remind them to dance. Tomorrow you will see, Gaara of Suna. Tomorrow you will see." She replied. Their walk came to an abrupt stop when she walked out on to one of the rocks. Gaara turned away when she began to unzip his coat, he felt her hand lay the coat across his arm and then he heard a loud splash. He looked back and she was gone again. Gaara felt strangely nervous. He did not know what to expect from this new event called a Skald. He also didn't know how to dance.


	5. Chapter 5 - The Skald

**Hello everyone! Thanks for reading! I don't own any of Naruto! Please favor, follow, etc if you enjoy.**

—

The next morning, the sun rose high over Skorgan's moss-covered mountains. Much later, when Gaara woke, the air in Skorgan was tense. Gaara could sense that tension. From the window in his room, he could see platforms being set up, breakable objects being pulled into homes and businesses, out of the street. He could tell the Skald was something important. Something important, indeed.

Gaara moved away from the window and sat back on the bed. During his brief time in Skorgan, he had come to appreciate its diversity. The island's landscape was quite different than Suna's, with its craggy mountains, sloping glaciers, seemingly unending fields of green, and of course the beach with black sand. Gaara had also come to enjoy the people that inhabited Skorgan. Asherah had led him on walks through several villages, and every single person had smiled at him.

His brow furrowed when his mind returned to the coming evening. Gaara felt anxiety grip him. He was a Shinobi. A warrior, a leader. Not a dancer. He would look stupid and clumsy. Worse, his soldiers and all these people would see. Worse still, Asherah would laugh at him. That would be most embarrassing. What should he do? He had faced so much judgement in his life, and she accepted him so completely. A scowl formed on his face as he sat on his bed and thought a while.

In the large room with the pool, far from Gaara, Asherah sat as her two best ladies-in-waiting plaited her hair. "Maybe this?" One asked, holding up a dress. Asherah chuckled. "That will only restrict my movement, Ossa." The other woman frowned. "But nudity offends your guest." Asherah's intense blue eyes softened. "Very well. Another though, not that one." The queen replied with a wave of the hand. "Majesty?" The woman braiding her hair asked. "Yes?" Came the Queen's reply. "Gaara of Sunagakure is a ninja." "I am aware of that, Arda." Asherah replied curtly. "What I am saying, majesty, is his people only know battle and death. He cannot possibly be in your world, nor you in his. Think of your parents." She said, whispering into Asherah's ear. Arda's words haunted Asherah, and the queen spent her afternoon swim musing over them.

That evening, the sun set, as much as the Kazekage wished it wouldn't. "Gaara of Suna, it is time." Vassar spoke to Gaara outside of his door. Gaara reached over and put his gourd on his back. He took a deep breath, walked out of his room, and followed Vassar down the hallway, out of the palace, and down to the beach. Hundreds of people followed behind them. Soldiers, families, nobles, business people. Large platforms had been hastily constructed and dozens of people stood on each of them. Everyone on the platform had an instrument. Huge drums lined each one. Gaara noticed Vassar held a stringless violin and bow. Did Vassar play too?

Vassar and Gaara kept walking until they were a few yards from the breaking waves. "Majesty…..will you lead us?" Vassar asked quietly to the water. All of the people waited patiently. Gaara's eyes turned to slits as he strained to see. At first he saw her hair, then her face emerged, shoulders, chest, torso, then her legs and feet as Asherah simply walked out of the sea and onto the beach to meet them.

Her hair was in intricate braids here and there, parts were woven down to the scalp with carved combs and dangling ornaments, twisted into flowers and patterns. In place of her usual diamond attire she wore a simple white muslin top and skirt. The top hid only her breasts, the skirt sat under her navel, the rolling tide soaking its hem as she stood on the sand. Diamond jewelry was replaced by razor thin chains of gold hung on her wrists, her ankles, around her abdomen and neck. She had not put on the heavy makeup that she wore on presentation day. She was more beautiful to Gaara this way. Raw and untouched like a sand dune.

"I would love to, if only I could hold my mother's helper once more." She said. "It's the best of the strings…" She said, and as she spoke, all those with stringed instruments on the platforms began to play. Asherah's eyelids began to lower and she lifted her arms to be level with her heart. As they played, she began to dance, moving only her arms and her rib cage, each joint and muscle working individually, yet synchronized perfectly. "And the horns…" she said, with half-lidded eyes. As she spoke, all those with brass instruments began to play, and her neck began to move in time with her upper body. "And the drums…." she cooed as her eyes went shut. The drums began to play. Their pounding rhythm looked like it was coming from her as she contorted her body, neck, shoulders, rib cage, abdomen,hips in a single fluid motion. She looked almost serpentine, matching the rolling waves.

Gaara watched with wide eyes. He had seen very little dancing at all, certainly nothing like that. He hadn't been paying attention to Vassar. Gaara barely saw him toss the bow and violin over to Asherah. A massive wave rose behind her, towering over her head as she plucked out a few strands of her own hair and quickly threaded the instrument with them. She looked directly at Gaara, snapping her eyes open, "My mother's helper…." She smiled as the wave tumbled down over her.

Then it was on and once it began, Gaara felt like he was back in the war, or on some metaphysical battlefield. Asherah rose from the wave, slinging her bow across the body of the violin making a deafening, drawn out, lamentful cry. She played at an incredible speed, setting the harmony, laying down the melody for all of the other players to follow. The other musicians followed as best they could and it was wonderful.

Addictive and exhilarating, that same drawn out, lamentful, joyous screech was played every time the waves crashed over her. Like her music laughed at the ocean. Her fingers moved so fast, Gaara was sure they would bleed. And so she danced and she played like that for hours. Gaara could almost feel the island shake as thousands of feet pounded the ground. The people were playing. The people were dancing. The people were living. It was a beautiful cacophony. It was joy. This Skald thing. And it went on for hours.

A little ways off the shore, the moonlight cloaked a ship with dark sails. As the party went on, the ship crept closer and closer and closer to Skorgan. On board, a tall man with hulking shoulders and a scarred face looked through his spyglass at the woman dancing in the waves with her violin. He lowered the tool and motioned for his crew to sail forward, an evil grin spreading across his face.

On shore, every single man, woman, and child was dancing. Except Gaara. He stood still. He had been watching Asherah the entire time. For a person who was not a Shinobi, as long as there was water, she did have endurance. It was the middle of the night when she finally left the music to her people and walked from the seaside to stand before Gaara.

The ship with dark sails drew closer.

"You do not dance!" She exclaimed at him, a bright smile lighting her face. "Why?!" She laughed. Dark eyelids turned towards the sand as the great Kazekage muttered, "I don't know how." "What?" Asherah asked, really not hearing him. "I don't know how!" Gaara repeated, louder and more harshly than he meant to sound. Asherah took his hand and gently pulled him to his feet, "Then I will show you!" She replied cheerily.

Before the Kazekage could protest, the siren queen was directly in front of him, she grasped one of his hands in her own and with her other, she guided his hand to rest on her bare hip. Gaara's cheeks instantly turned bright red for reasons he didn't understand. "There, now, take a step back with your left leg." Asherah said, gently nudging him. As he did so, she stepped forward with her right foot. "And now the right one." She whispered, and as he put his right foot back, she stepped on her left. "Now, left forward." She instructed. This time it was her right that went back. "And right forward." She finished, stepping back with her left this time. They repeated the motion a few times until Gaara had perfected the box step. At first he was clumsy and stiff, but once he found the pattern, he was his usual confident self. "You're dancing." Asherah smiled at him. "Actually, I think _we're_ dancing." The Kazekage said, giving her a smile but genuine smile. This time it was Asherah's turn to blush.

Out on the moonlit ocean, the ship with dark sails dropped anchor.

Sapphire eyes looked up into jade ones. Gaara's usually emotionless gaze was soft and full of admiration. Asherah's was curious. Holding his hand, she could feel his pulse pounding. Did he feel anything? Did he feel for her? Gaara's mind was spinning. Pretty women were one of the three vices forbidden to ninja. Forbidden to Gaara. Regardless, he was still a man. Looking into her deep eyes, he felt his instincts rise as they had that night he came so close to having his first kiss.

Out on the ocean, a single word came from the man with the scarred face and the harpoon shot out from the ship with dark sails.

"Asherah…" Gaara said, his raspy voice soft. Suddenly, he gasped as his heart skipped a beat. He heard it, that hideous, invasive whizzing sound in the air. He heard it, but just a second too late. "Gaara, I—AGGGH!" His eyes widened as Asherah's blood splattered onto his red coat, the hook sticking out of her shoulder, her scream echoing as she was hauled away, the boat in the distance pulling her out to sea. Dragging her painfully by the hook deep in her shoulder. Gaara's wide eyes narrowed to slits as he watched someone try to rip Asherah away. A scowl clouded his handsome features as Gaara felt other, darker instincts take over. Instincts he had repressed for years. The whirling of his sand began to whistle in his ears while he was lifted and carried out, over the water, chasing her, determined to bring her back. "Asherah, you will be mine!" Gaara yelled.

Watching, the man with the scarred face listened to the siren Queen's screams as she was pulled in and he chuckled darkly. "Odessa, I have you once more."


	6. Chapter 6- Even Asherah Calls Me Daddy

**Thanks for reading! I don't own any of Naruto! Please favor, follow, review etc if you enjoy!**

—

Gaara preferred going into battle knowing what to expect from his enemy. He liked being able to think about what to do. He did not have that luxury tonight. Gaara's scowl deepened, his sand rushing him over the water, as he watched Asherah be hoisted on board. She dangled down over the men like a caught fish, the hook ripping through her shoulder. Gaara noticed she was silent now and he hoped he would not be too late.

Quickly, the Kazekage began to make the hand sign to sand coffin all of the ship's crew he could see when he stopped suddenly. The man with the scarred face came over and carefully, tenderly, took Asherah into his arms as she was lowered down. Gaara lowered his hand and hovered stealthily beside the ship, wanting to see what happened. What was this? Was this her lover? A pang of misery struck his heart. Could it be?

Asherah's head hung down, her face covered by her hair. Some of the sailors looked apprehensive and tried to tap the man on the shoulder but he roughly shrugged them away.

"Sire, I don't think…."

"That's not….."

"Don't you recognize…..?"

"Silence, you idiots!" He yelled, looking at them with fury in his gaze. The man's harsh eyes went soft as he gently ran a hand over her wet hair. "Odessa, my darling. Finally, we are together again." The man raised her head slowly and leaned into kiss her…... Until her hair fell away from her face and he saw Asherah.

He instantly dropped her flat and Gaara flinched as she hit the deck with a painful thud. "You!" The man snarled. "You are not my Odessa!" "No, father, it is I, Asherah. I take it your latest voyage was not successful, either?" The queen replied quietly. Gaara's eyes widened in surprise. Father? Father, not lover. His heart relaxed. The man had walked over to the edge of the ship and looked out over the water. "You play just like your mother did." He said sadly. "She still does." Asherah replied, placing a hand over the hook that was still through her shoulder. Her father had not apologized for the wound yet, Gaara noticed. He was startled when the queen pulled the hook out with a great cry.

It hurt Gaara's ears and heart to hear it. He was on board beside of her before he could stop himself. He ripped off a piece of his coat and quickly made a tourniquet for her. The man was still looking over the ocean. "Father, this is Gaara of Sunakagure. He visits our land for a time." Asherah said, her breathing still ragged from her wound. "So you wish it, so it shall be, Asherah." The man said quietly, not taking his eyes off the water. Asherah sat and looked at her father, a smirk lighting her pained features. "I have decided I will raise an army of sirens to take over the whole north. Skorgan will rule all." The man did not look at her. "So you wish it, So it shall be, Asherah." "I have decided I will bear 100 children from 100 different men." The queen said, seeing how far she could push it before she got a reaction from her father.

Gaara's eyes widened. "So you wish it, so it shall be, Asherah." Came the nonchalant reply. She winked at Gaara so he would know she had just been joking, but he still looked confused. The queen frowned. "Mother would not like you being rude. Why don't you introduce yourself to our guest?" She asked as Gaara helped her to her feet. "Guest? You should have slain him on first sight. If I had not cut you from your mother's womb myself, I would never believe you are our child." The man snorted, finally turning to look at them.

"If you had not cut me from my mother's womb, maybe she would not have returned to the sea." Asherah snapped.

"Silence!" The man yelled.

"I am no longer a child!" Asherah retorted.

"No, but you are my child, and when I say 'Silence!', you are silent!" The man bellowed, pounding his fist against the rail of the ship.

The queen scowled but did not say anything else. The man with the scarred face spoke to Gaara, "Many years ago, I was called Talgryn the Terrible. I was the last king of Skorgan." he turned his eyes back to the sea. "I have been empty since my dear Odessa left. I am finished with this world. I do not care. I do not care about anything except finding her and making a trade."

"A trade?" Gaara asked. He was very confused.

"My dear Odessa was driven mad by the growing child within her." He began, but Asherah cut in. "No she wasn't, you held her in chains like an animal and she was trying to flee from you!" "I said SILENCE!" Talgryn screamed and Asherah was quiet again. After fuming at his daughter, he spoke again to Gaara, "No sooner had I cut the child free, did I look over and see my darling, my Odessa, gone. Gone far away into the sea. I took life from her, so I am trying to let her take life from me." The man said, his eyes glazing over as he looked at the sea.

Gaara looked taken aback as he realized what he was saying. "You want her to kill you?" The Kazekage asked. Talgryn nodded, "Only then will I be free. Until then, I will wander the world over and over, searching for her. That violin, that damn piece of wood…..I heard it the night we met. I thought surely…" Gaara heard the man start to weep. A great king crying in front of his men over a woman. Gaara thought how he would have been shamed in the Shinobi world. He was shaken out of his thoughts as Asherah stumbled against him. "Gaara," She said quietly, clutching her shoulder, "take me away from this place. I can bear this no more." The Kazekage could see the pain in her face and his sand whirled around them both to transport them back to Asherah's palace. "Your heart will be your undoing, Asherah!" The man shouted at her as they took off. "Yours certainly was, Father!" Asherah replied before they were whisked away.

It only took a moment for Gaara to get them back to Asherah's room. When Gaara placed her in the pool, it was all he could do not to jump in with her. A grimace on his face out of sympathy, like he was the one who had been wounded. He wanted to hold her. To comfort her. He didn't really know how, but he was willing to try.

Asherah spent the night in the sea again. The next morning, Vassar again came to fetch the Kazekage. Gaara's boat was finally ready. As he and his soldiers walked down to the dock, he was afraid Asherah would not be there to send him off. There were so many things he wanted to ask her, tell her. He didn't have the right words to say. Or maybe he did, but he just didn't know which ones. He wished he could talk to Temari and Kankuro.

Jade eyes looked downtrodden as they walked. Just before he and his soldiers boarded, that melodic voice came from behind him. "Gaara of Suna, travel safely." He turned around and saw Asherah, standing there in her usual attire, a bandage over her shoulder. He walked up to her quickly and looked as if he would say something. "You came to tell me goodbye." He said and she shook her head. "I did not come to say goodbye because this is not goodbye." She smiled. She took Gaara, and each of his soldiers and kissed their foreheads. "This will keep you safe until you can get home. When the time is right, I will see you again, Gaara of Suna." She smiled softly, waving to them as the ropes were cut and the boat began its long voyage back to Suna.

Gaara waved back. His heart was troubled. He was happy to go back home, but he felt like he left a piece of himself on that shore with the siren queen. Was it better to harden his heart as everyone always told him to? The most pressing question weighed on him heavily, would he be able to now?


	7. Chapter 7- A Message from the Sand

**Hello! Thanks for reading! Please let me know if you enjoy! I don't own any of Naruto!**

—

It was a difficult voyage back to the desert. But the Kazekage and his men managed. The entirety of Suna rejoiced at Gaara's return. His siblings, Temari and Kankuro, warmly embraced their brother. Gaara immediately put the diamonds to good use, having received ten times more than he originally asked of his neighbors. The people of Suna were well on their way to a complete recovery after the war. Temari and Kankuro were among the most surprised, however, when he called off his meeting with his arranged fiancé. The council quickly called an emergency meeting with Gaara.

"You refuse to accept whom the council has selected?" Spat an elder after Gaara informed them.

"I have corrected the issues our nation struggled with after the war and the people are thriving again. I do not wish to marry now. I can always adopt a child from Sunakagure as an heir." He said politely.

"We want you to have a family of your own! Twenty is plenty old enough!" Came the reply.

"I have dedicated my life to pleasing you and caring for Suna. When have any of you cared about what I wanted?" Gaara asked quietly, in his low, gravelly tone, his eyes narrowing to show his irritation. The Kazekage had to have everything he did approved by the council, was he not allowed one refusal?

Asherah was right. They put him in this office because they feared him and they wanted to twist his own power to control him. He didn't need money anymore, he only needed to be peaceful and he had a right to peacefully refuse. And he was refusing. Not as Kazekage, but as Gaara, the man.

"Where did you get all of those funds, anyway?" Another council member cut in.

Gaara looked out the window in the room as a dreamy look entered his jaded eyes. "They were a gift from a new friend. I was stranded in a strange land and it's leader bestowed a gift upon us. I owe Skorgan a great debt now."

Around the table, council members' eyes narrowed. "The Shinobi do not interfere in the northern countries affairs. Strange beings dwell there. Communication with the lands of the north have been closed for years."

"Well, maybe they need to be reopened." Gaara said boldly. He stood up and faced the elder across the table. "Unless you have forgotten, Ebizō, I use to harbor a strange being myself. The funds were a gift of good will. Nothing more." He said, holding the man's gaze as Gaara stood and excused himself from the meeting. They had said their words, Gaara had said his. Much to their outrage.

Once he closed the door to the room, a small smile danced across his lips. Temari noticed his grin from across the hall, watching him emerge from the room. Inside, annoyed voices bickered with each other. This wasn't like Gaara, to refuse something the council had told him to do. Although, he certainly didn't need money now, and marrying a stranger wouldn't help him lead his people any better. When she had gone by his cacti room earlier, she noticed some of them were looking shabby due to his neglect, and Gaara had always been so meticulous about them….

Temari frowned. What was wrong with her brother?

Later she found him in his office, his eyes narrowed in focus on his paperwork. She quietly knocked on his door. "Hey, Gaara, you showed them." She said with a smile as she entered. Gaara looked up from his paperwork. "Hello Temari." He greeted her, then turned back to writing. Temari's frown returned. "Hey, um, Gaara, you seem…...different….since you came back. Just…...distracted….or maybe, a little unhappy, I guess."

"I am perfectly fine." Gaara insisted. "I don't think so…" Temari pressed. "Where did you say, you stayed while you were stranded?" "At the palace of Skorgan." Gaara replied. "Don't they have a King?" Temari asked. That was true, in a way, Talgryn wasn't dead. But Gaara told his sister what he wanted her to know. "They have a Queen." Gaara said simply and Temari's eyes widened.

"Did you…..get to know her very well?" Temari asked.

Gaara looked up again. "Yes."

"Did you…...come to life her?" Temari smirked.

She was shocked at how reverent Gaara looked as he lifted his face from his paperwork again, a dreamy gaze clouding his jade eyes. "Yes….In her company, I felt like I do when I cultivate cacti. I felt joy when I saw her. It's like when I see you or Kankuro, except, different, somehow."

Temari smiled. Her little brother was growing up so fast. She was so proud! She didn't know who this woman was, but she was hopeful that maybe, this mysterious leader had softened her brother a bit. Maybe more. Gaara had feelings for her. Temari could tell. Although he didn't understand it yet, his big sister would help him! "Gaara, do you think, that, maybe you should invite the Queen to Suna and, give her a tour? She's been so generous to us..." Temari smirked.

Gaara didn't understand why his sister smirked at him. "She said she would come and see me one day."

"She might come sooner if you ask her." Temari replied.

Gaara brightened at the thought of Asherah visiting him in his homeland. Asherah there with him, seeing his true strength. Asherah meeting all of his friends and his siblings. "Do you really think so?"

"Of course!" Temari smiled.

A short time later, a message from the Kazekage was carried across the desert, past the shore, and over the sea by Suna's strongest bird.

It arrived in Skorgan the next evening.

High in the large room with a pool, the letter rustled against Asherah's long, oval nails as she opened it, humming to no one in particular.

As her hypnotic eyes scanned over the words, her humming ceased, and she summoned Vassar and Mathis to her room immediately.

"Prepare a boat and arrange the soldiers. We are going away for a time. I trust my strongest will protect the people until my return. So I wish it, so it shall be." She ordered with a tap of her scepter. Her guards bowed and quickly ran to fulfill her requests.

A joyful smirk spread across her fair face and her sapphire eyes sparked.

"Gaara of Suna, I will come to you."


	8. Chapter 8 - A Visit to Suna

**Thanks for reading! I don't own any of Naruto! Please let me know if you enjoy!**

—

A ship was only used because there was luggage to carry. The voyage over the sea felt long to Asherah. She was anxious to see Suna. She had never been in the Shinobi world. She had never seen a desert. She was unpleasantly surprised at how hot it was, when she and her guards made their way towards Suna, leaving the boat docked at the pier. How would she present herself to the Kazekage? In spite of the sweat pouring down her face, she grinned once she knew.

Gaara sat at his desk working on his paperwork one morning when a knock came at his door. "Come in," he called. He looked up and his eyes widened as Vassar and Mathis barged through the door, Mathis held a large container with a lid. The container was wide and so tall that it came up to the man's waist. "Kazekage, a gift from Skorgan." Mathis offered, sitting the container down. Gaara stood and walked over, his heart racing. He slowly, carefully removed the lid, and looked down inside to find…...it was empty.

"Thought I would be in there, didn't you?" Came a melodic chuckle from behind him. The Shinobi turned quickly and a bright smile lit up his face when he saw Asherah standing behind him. Even in the desert heat, she was still beautiful. Her strangely colored hair had been tied back and woven in and out of a crown with pearls and diamonds, her ears, neck and hands draped with diamond jewelry. Her skirt was layered over and over, and it flowed elegantly around her feet, covering them and swaying with her, like a fish's tail. Her usual diamond top concealed by a dark shawl, laced with silver that she had wrapped over her upper body, letting only her neck be seen. Gaara felt his heart speed even more and his mouth went dry as he rasped, "Hello, Asherah." She returned his smile, and happily said, "Hello, Gaara." Sapphire eyes bore into his.

"I see my message was received." Gaara said in his usual stoic manner. "You have summoned me, and now I am here." Asherah replied, her regal shoulders back and her elegant neck held high as she stepped towards him. Vassar and Mathis averted their eyes as Gaara stepped towards her as well.

The Queen and Kazekage would have gotten even closer if the door had not opened and Temari and Kankurō had not come in. "Gaara, I—" Kankurō stopped short, Temari behind him as they walked in on their brother inches away from a strange newcomer. A female newcomer. Temari wondered if this was the queen Gaara talked about. Both of the sand siblings mouths dropped in surprise. Asherah turned to face them. Gaara did not, his eyes were glued onto Asherah as he spoke. "Temari, Kankurō, this is Queen Asherah. She is the one Suna owes a debt to, our benefactor."

Temari knew her brother was handsome, but she never thought Gaara would be interested in someone like this. She knew nothing about the woman in front of her, but she was beautiful and her eyes were intense. They held the same intensity that Gaara's did, and Naruto's, and Sasuke Uchiha's. The kind of eyes power lurked woman beside Gaara looked far too confident. Maybe encouraging his relationship with her hadn't been a good idea?

"Way to go, little brother!" Kankurō blurted out before he could stop himself. Temari elbowed him sharply in the ribs as she managed a surprised, welcome smile. "I mean….Nice to meet you, your highness. I'm Kankurō, and this is Temari. We're Gaara's siblings." Kankurō said. "It is a pleasure to meet any of Gaara's people." Asherah returned, "I mean no offense, but I am called majesty, not highness." Even though she said no offense, Temari certainly looked offended. Kankurō just apologized nervously. Temari noticed her brother was still staring at Asherah. His usually cold, unreadable eyes were soft and full of admiration. It was worse than Temari thought. Gaara didn't have feelings for this woman. Gaara was falling for this woman.

And so Asherah's visit began. The Kazekage took her on a grand tour. Gaara showed her the hospitals he had been built, let her meet and visit the families who had received war penchants, and visit the sick who had been healed as a result from her generous donation to Suna. All the while, Asherah sweat through her clothes as the unforgiving sun burned into her. She wondered how the people of Suna didn't seem to be bothered. She did enjoy being in a new place. While Gaara worked, she went shopping, eating at the restaurants to try the food. Suna was a different place and everything was new to her. She enjoyed new things.

Since her arrival, Gaara spent every few second he had with her. "Have I used your gift wisely, Asherah?" Gaara asked her one day as he sat beside of her, letting her soak in a saltwater pool. She had been very careful to keep hydrated. "Indeed," she replied. "I also see you do not have a bride. I am proud of you, Gaara. Your people are well and you are free." She smiled in approval. Gaara was happy to hear that. Asherah's approval was very important to him.

The council's however, was not anymore. The people of Suna that had met her loved Asherah for her kindness, her beauty, and the beautiful songs she sang. They also noticed how happy Gaara seemed and they were grateful to her, for making his life less painful. But the council hated her. They did not like Gaara had a leader not of the Shinobi world as a guest and they really did not like how close the two seemed. But Gaara was still volatile and dangerous. Though they hated it, no harm was coming to anyone from it now. So they decided, as long as there were no more developments, they would let him have his fun. For now. Unbeknownst to Gaara and Asherah, they were watching closely.

One evening after dinner, Temari and Asherah walked side by side, their rooms being close to each other in the Kage mansion. "So, your majesty, I noticed you and my brother seem to….be well acquainted. Why Gaara?" Temari was going to sort this out and make sure her brother wasn't going to get hurt. "That is the difference between your people and mine. Your people like things that are ugly, war and violence. I understand you have schools that train people to kill?" Asherah asked, Temari snorted. The Queen spoke again, "My people love things of beauty like love, and music. Singing and dancing. Gaara is beautiful, especially on the inside."

Temari's eye widened. Gaara had plenty of admirers across Suna and beyond. Not one had ever admired Gaara for what was on the inside. That's when Temari knew this relationship was very good for Gaara.

"Temari, can you help me with something?" Gaara asked his sister, finding her training outside one afternoon. "Of course, Gaara! What is it?" Temari asked, ready to help. "I need you to help me pick a cactus you think a woman would like. One that's green with blue flowers." "Oh...uh, sure!" Temari said, thinking that was a little strange, but following Gaara to his cacti room nonetheless. After careful searching, they selected one that looked exactly like the broken heart Gaara had almost stepped on in Skorgan.

"I also need your help planning a party. I want our friends from Konoha to come, and the council, and every citizen who would like to. I want there to be food, and music, and dancing." Gaara said as he sat the plant down and rummaged in a drawer for something.

"...Okay." Temari agreed. What? Parties, especially with music and dancing weren't really Gaara's thing. "What kind of party is it?"

Gaara tied a white ribbon around the cactus and looked at his sister very seriously as he spoke, "An engagement party."


	9. Chapter 9 - The Kazekage's Proposal

**Thanks for reading! I don't own any of Naruto! Please let me know if you enjoy!**

—

Asherah was told the party was to celebrate Suna being honored by her visit and charitable donation. She thought it was a bit odd though that Gaara had sent handmaidens to get her ready. Was it going to be that big of an event? Asherah spent the afternoon trying to teach them how to do her hair and makeup in a way that reflected her heritage. They could not help that they were Shinobi. She missed Ossa and Arda. Such skills came naturally to sirens.

As Asherah struggled with her new maids, Gaara struggled not to vomit as he stood in front of his older sister while she straightened his tie. Temari had insisted he wear a three piece suit instead of his usual robes and he was quite uncomfortable. That was made worse by anxiety eating at the corners of his sanity. "What if she laughs at me?" Gaara rasped. Temari was knotting his tie so tight, he was sure she actually had a diabolical plot to kill him. "I've seen the way she looks at you, you'll be fine, Gaara." His sister replied, getting annoyed with her brother's nervousness. The Kazekage gulped.

An hour later and the party was in full swing. Suna citizens, Shinobi, workers, dignitaries, council members, people from neighboring nations, and of course Gaara's friends from Konoha, all greeted the Kazekage with smiles and cheers. Gaara smiled back weakly and he mingled in his usual awkward manner. Tonight he looked like he might faint. He stood talking to the newly married Naruto and Hinata when Asherah walked out of the Kage mansion and decided she would, at last, join the party.

A silence fell over the crowd as she boldly strode out onto the large stone terrace and slowly descended down the stairs. She smelled of the ocean's breeze and lust, clad in diamonds, sapphire eyes darting through the crowd, hair twisted, braided, trailing down and over regal, gleaming shoulders. Her scepter clicked along as she made her way to the bottom, her red lips parting into a smile at those before her.

"Announcing, Queen Asherah of the far northern Nation of Skorgan, guest of Sunakagure." Vassar bellowed loudly. Everyone should have gone back to what they were doing but every male in the room stared at her, and every female narrowed her eyes. These people had never seen a creature of her kind before. Asherah soaked it in for a moment, leaning on her scepter with both hands, then she laughed and tapped it against the floor once. They all immediately went back to their conversations.

"Asherah? That's your guest, Gaara?" Naruto asked with a surprised look on his face. "Yes, it is I, little fox boy, or should I say, fox man?" Asherah chuckled, walking up to where Gaara, Naruto, and Hinata stood talking. Gaara stared at Asherah with the same look in his eye he held when he battled someone. She was his battle for tonight. Naruto turned to see her, Hinata looked angry. How did this….woman….know her husband? He had never mentioned anything about her before. "Good to see you again, Asherah! This is my wife, Hinata." Naruto laughed nervously, hugging the Hyuga heir. Asherah smiled kindly at Hinata and nodded at her, showing she meant no harm, "She is beautiful, Naruto. It is a pleasure to meet you, Hinata. Many years ago, your husband and an old man with white hair came to the aid of my handmaidens. I am still very grateful." Hinata blushed, feeling a little ashamed now.

Gaara made a mental note to hear that story later but was cut short when Asherah turned to him and laughed jovially. "Gaara Of Suna! What is that you are wearing?! You look ridiculous-"

That was it. She was laughing at him.

Gaara was going to throw up all over her.

"—ly handsome " She finished with a smile.

His suffocating nausea subsided a little. "Really?"

"Yes, I like this." Asherah chuckled, looking at his suit, then up at him. "This is quite a party just to have a visitor."

"Our people have not been together for centuries." Gaara tried to lie. Asherah looked at him and raised an eyebrow but said nothing else about it.

After all of the necessary introductions, greetings, small talks, and other niceties were observed, Gaara signaled to Temari and his sister quickly hushed the crowd. The two sand siblings stood on the large stone terrace looking over everyone. "Queen Asherah, will you come to the Kazekage? There's something important he would like to say." Temari called. Asherah looked up, blinked, and made her way to them, handing her scepter to Mathis. Gaara held his hands behind his back and Temari slipped the potted cactus into them, it was difficult with Gaara trembling so hard.

Asherah came a short distance from Gaara. He felt like he was staring death in the face. What if she refused? Declined? His lonely heart would be broken and he would be humiliated in front of everyone, including Naruto, whom he looked up to so much. But there was a small chance she might say yes and be his. All his. Forever…. He had to try. Gaara finally spoke, "I have not been honest with everyone tonight. This event is not just to celebrate our visitor from another land, it's to celebrate the merging of two peoples." Whispers drifted through the crowd like a gentle wind. Each member of Gaara's council narrowed their eyes. They didn't like where this was going.

This was it. He was either going to win the battle right now, or go down in flames. Gaara turned to Asherah, "there's a reason why I asked you to come to Suna…" curious sapphire eyes bored into hopeful jade orbs. "Wi-..." He was going to say more but his mouth suddenly went very dry and he took a step back until his sister gave him a gentle shove forward and whispered, "Gaara, no! Go on!" Temari urged.

"Are you alright?" Asherah asked, curiosity turning into concern. Gaara stumbled towards Asherah and with wide, terrified eyes, thrust the cactus to her and quickly mumbled, "Willyoumarryme?". Asherah looked confused, the cactus was green with blue flowers, and a white ribbon had been tied around it just like a broken heart…...a broken heart?! The Skorganian symbol of love and unyielding devotion?!

"What?" Asherah asked, taken aback as she accepted the cactus. Gaara was breathing very hard. Going to war was easy. Dancing and proposing were the scariest things he'd ever done. "Will…..you...marry...me?" Gaara croaked out. Gasps rang out and then a thundering silence hung in the air as the crowd didn't even breathe, all waiting to hear her answer. Council members fumed in the silence.

Sapphire eyes illuminated even more at him as she smiled brightly and happily said, "Yes, Of course I will…..I will!" Asherah cried, cradling the plant. The crowd rejoiced as Naruto shouted, "Thatta boy, Gaara! Kiss her!" Gaara turned bright red. Kiss her?! With his mouth?! He didn't know how to do that! He didn't understand that, or know anything about that, but then something petal soft was against his lips. Asherah had strode over and kissed him.

And it was dizzying. The crowd expected a simple peck, but Asherah poured all of her deep heart and complex soul into it. Gaara had presented her with the Skorgan gift symbolizing true love and devotion. She removed her left bracelet and had thrown it to the floor so she could give him a siren's kiss of true love. The kind of kiss that melted away the worlds of Kazekage and Queen and left only man and woman.

Raw and powerful.

Savage and intoxicating.

Overwhelming.

Gaara had never been kissed, so it would have been lovely with any woman meaningful to him, but the true love kiss of a siren was a kiss magnified a thousand times. Asherah tasted like joy and cookies, decadent and addicting. His reddened cheeks faded to pink as a hunger he had never felt before took over. Starting with his heart, it spread to his head, his groin, and then all over his body. His chakra network was on fire. Gaara almost whimpered when she pulled away, taking care to nip him as she did, not too hard, just enough to make his lip sting a bit. Smoky, jade eyes became hazy and half-lidded at the powerful mixture of pain and lust. She was Gaara's now, and he wanted what was his. The crowd yelled and clapped. The Kazekage was getting married! Asherah looked over at her flushed fiancé and smirked before she quickly slipped between two large sand Shinobi, getting away for now. Gaara growled and went to chase her, trying to politely push his way through, but it was too late. The council members left, with sneers of disgust on their faces, to hold an emergency meeting amongst themselves. They would deal with this would-be bride of Gaara's…..

Gaara's proposal had pleased the queen. Every guest said she had taken the time to personally thank them for coming but Asherah's heart was full to bursting and she needed to be in the water to calm herself lest she lose control. She had left the party and found an oasis one of Gaara's elite had mentioned some time ago. Gaara spent the rest of the party looking for his bride-to-be. He wanted, no, he needed, another one of those kisses.

Later, when the maids were sweeping up the trash and everyone had either gone home or gone to sleep, Gaara held his signature scowl despite the evening's joyful events. He wanted to find Asherah. The hunger from that kiss still held onto him, his chakra network was still flaming and his entire body burned. What was this? This strange thing Asherah had done to him, made him feel? A thought entered his mind. But he wasn't sure…...was that it? Temari would know.

So, he sought his sister out. If she was asleep, she would wake by order of the Kazekage. He had a question and he had to know the answer right now. "Temari? Temari?!" Gaara called, rapping at her door. "Yes? What is it, Gaara?" The blonde asked sleepily as she cracked it open, her hair messy and a loose black robe tied around her waist.

Her cheeks turned red and her mind reeled as she wondered how she should answer her little brother when he looked at her and asked, "How do two people have sex?"


	10. Chapter 10 - Love, Sex, and Chains

**Thanks for reading! I don't own any of Naruto! Please let me know if you enjoy!**

—

After a few awkward statements, Temari thought this might be a talk that was better man-to-man. She had handed Gaara over to Kankurō and gone to bed. Gaara's older brother was not a great teacher though and after his brief lesson, Gaara sat staring at Kankurō with a horrified look on his face. "It….. breaks…... off inside?" The Kazekage asked, bewildered. "Well, it doesn't really break, I guess, but it kind of feels like that. And it swims around, you know? _That_ does." Kankurō tried to tell him. "Does it reattach?" Gaara asked, afraid to hear the answer. Kankurō laughed, "You'll see what I'm talking about."

His examples and descriptions really weren't helpful to Gaara at all. The Kazekage didn't even understand what "it" or "that" was. He didn't know what was supposed to swim where. Gaara sat in disbelief. If body parts were broken off, why would anyone enjoy having sex? It sounded awful, but Temari had told him that was a way two people could express their love for each other. The Kazekage was determined. He felt like the cactus wasn't enough. He wanted his future bride to know the depths of his feelings. Also, he wanted this fire inside of him to settle down, was this lust? Gaara wasn't good at words, maybe he could be good at sex, even if he had to break off a body part or two so they could swim somewhere….or however this worked.

Asherah returned late in the night, still soaked from her time submersed in the large oasis. The desert's cool evening breeze caused her to shiver as it tickled the water droplets on her skin. She made her way up to her room and opened the door to find the Kazekage sitting on her bed with narrowed eyes. "Gaara…." she smiled, a bit surprised. The Kazekage said nothing as he stood and walked up to her, grasping her upper arms, he pushed her until her back touched the wall.

Asherah's sapphire orbs widened a little bit, but she didn't resist, moving with him. Their eyes were locked into each other's, and once her head touched the wall, it was Gaara this time that leaned in and kissed. Though he was trying, his kiss was much more gentle and soft than Asherah's had been earlier. She purred and closed her eyes, kissing her new fiancé back. That same dizzy giddiness spread through Gaara and when he finally pulled away, his face was just as flushed and eyes hazy, but widened in apprehension.

"I am not good at words." Gaara told her breathlessly. "As I have come to notice." Asherah nodded, his hands still grasping her arms. "There are other ways I can express what I feel for you, even if it breaks off inside of you!" Gaara declared, looking at Asherah like he had at Rock Lee before their battle at the Chunin Exams. No matter how awful this sex business was, if it meant Asherah would better know his feelings for her, it would be worth it. He was a Shinobi, and a Shinobi could endure.

At first Asherah looked confused and raised an eyebrow, then realization hit her and she laughed, a hand coming to her face as she covered it. "Oh my!" Asherah laughed, "Well, sirens are known to be legendary, but that sounds dreadful! I don't think that will be necessary, Gaara." She smiled after she regained her composure. Gaara released her arms and frowned. "My brother told me if we can't have sex, you won't know how I feel."

Asherah took his wrist and led him over to her bed, pushing him down gently, and sitting beside him. "That is not true because a siren does not have sex, a siren makes love." Gaara blinked at her, his cheeks pink at how beautiful she looked in the moonlight coming through the window. "There is a difference?" He asked. Asherah nodded, "They are two entirely separate things. And I promise, nothing breaks off when you make love.", she assured him. "Give me your hand, draga mea." She said, opening her palm. Gaara placed his hand over hers and Asherah laced her fingers with his.

"What is 'draga mea'?" Gaara asked. "It is a term of endearment in my culture." Asherah said, rubbing his hand with her fingers. "Why don't we start small? After all, you are a…..?" She asked, leaning in, meaning virgin, but she didn't say it so she wouldn't embarrass him. "A…..?" Gaara replied, leaning in with her, answering Asherah's question with his ignorance.

She chuckled and leaned back onto the bed, slowly pulling Gaara down on top of her, she helped him settle into her shoulder and let her hand that wasn't entwined with his come up to stroke his hair, massaging his scalp. Gaara was stiff at first. What was this? This was new. He wasn't used to this.

After a few minutes, Gaara eased into this new experience, the feeling of another being so warm and close to him. Asherah cradled him against her like a baby. He relaxed and nested into his fiancé, letting the soft fabric of her clothing brush against his cheek. She had removed the hard diamond breastplate before she got into the oasis earlier. "Is this sex? Or is it making love?" Gaara asked after a few minutes with a happy sigh. It felt good, whichever it was, like Temari and Kankurō said it would. "No, draga mea, neither, this is cuddling." Asherah educated him, leaning over and kissing the red tattoo on his forehead. Jaded eyes flickered up to watch her.

"We will make love when the time is right." She assured him. "I like cuddling." Gaara replied as he wound his arm around her waist to pull her closer. Gaara had never been held and cuddled before and he was loving it. He closed his eyes and sighed into Asherah's warm embrace, her fingers in his hair easing away the tensions of the day. He found himself getting drowsy, and before he knew it, the dark room turned to blackness. Asherah smiled as she too drifted off. That was the best night of sleep Gaara had since his infancy.

Little did the happy couple know, but dark forces plotted against them in the bowels of the Kage mansion. "Have you sent the message?" Ebizō asked to another council member. The nod of response brought an evil grin to the old man's face. In the early morning, Asherah rose to go out on her morning swim, but she was not trained like a Shinobi, she didn't hear the assailant creeping up on her, didn't feel danger until she heard the crack of steel against her own skull that knocked her unconscious. Her eyes were closed as she was shackled and dragged down to the bowels of Suna's deepest prison.

Gaara woke feeling more rested than he had in years, but he woke alone. Black-rimmed eyes blinked in the morning light as he looked for his bride-to-be, his cactus he had given her still perched on the windowsill where she placed it. The saltwater pool she used in the morning was close enough he could always hear her singing. But this morning there was silence.

Something was wrong. Gaara could sense it. He quickly washed up, ran to get his clothes on for the day, and found his head advisor. "Where is Asherah?" Gaara demanded. "She was called away, Lord Gaara. Her kind are fickle, she may have simply changed her mind." A frown clouded Gaara's face as the seed of doubt was planted in his brain. The advisor bowed to the Kazekage, hiding the grin that spread over his face. The plan was going perfectly.

Levels and levels below Gaara, Asherah stirred in that dirty, sandy spot deep in the large prison cell she had been dumped in. Her sapphire eyes cracked open painfully, and she saw only blackness, but heard footsteps. The cells of Suna's prison had been opened, she had been left here to die, afraid and alone, as the most brutal criminals of the desert descended to prey upon her. She noticed her clothing had been stripped, her arms and legs were chained to the ground. Thankfully, her mouth had not been bound. Fools. She did not need her arms or legs. The Queen of the Black Sea only needed her voice. She struggled in her chains to sit up and greet her approaching enemies. As she opened her mouth to sing, she bowed silently to herself and her future groom: _Gaara of Suna, I will return to you, draga mea._


	11. Chapter 11 - Throne of Blood

**Thanks for reading! I don't own any of Naruto! Let me know if you enjoy!**

The plan was simple. Ebizō paid an old contact he had and an army of rogue Shinobi were currently on their way to attack. They would let the prisoners kill Asherah, blame it on the rogues, then Gaara would fly into a rage, defeat the army, and spend the rest of his life mourning his love without chasing these silly daydreams of marrying this…..creature. Ebizō felt one of her kind had no place in Suna and certainly no place with the Kazekage. The council would lecture him on how naive he had been as he held her bloody body. This whole affair would make Gaara more obedient to the council. He was created to be their weapon, and that was all he would ever be, to Ebizō anyway.

Gaara felt empty as he stood in shock. There was no way Asherah, his Asherah, had simply left in the middle of the night. Asherah was willful, but she was honorable. She would never treat him, or anyone, like that. Gaara scowled at his advisor and quickly ran to find Vassar and Mathis. Her guards would know something, anything, they had to! Where was his Asherah?!

—-

In the dungeon far below Gaara, the many footsteps of Suna's worst criminals stilled to silence as the song of the siren Queen filled the dank air in that forgotten place.

 _Come to me_

Her voice was a deep, guttural command that ripped through the prisoners and touched their dark hearts, exposing their minds and leaving them open for her.

The prisoners drew closer, this time, their steps were in synch.

 _Its not by love_

 _But now by pain_

 _That one like me reigns_

 _Come to me_

That same command, this time taking their minds and latching on, swallowing their thoughts.

Some were nearly standing over her as their synchronized walk continued.

 _Listen to the song of the sea_

 _I can make you all you ever wanted to be_

 _Glory, riches, all yours to see_

 _All you have to do is serve me_

 _Come to me_

The command again, this time obeyed without doubt.

They reached out to grab the chains on her ankles and wrists.

 _Glory, riches, unending luck_

 _If you'll just lift me out of these chains, I'm stuck_

 _Think of me and you together_

 _Once you're bonded, never_

 _Never….._

 _Can that be severed_

And it was over.

Her chains were destroyed.

These men belonged to the heart of the sea now. And they would forever.

All of their eyes were half-lidded in reverence as they held the Queen up. Her eyes matched theirs, softly, lovingly, looking over them as they moved in close to be near their new Queen. Suna's most heartless thieves, must brutal rapists, most merciless murderers, nuzzled and ran their hands over Asherah like she was a goddess. Asherah sat the pace for their very breath, every man inhaling as she did, exhaling with her. One collective body under the influence of the siren.

Those closest to her gently stroked her hair, her arms, legs, her back. The soft smile on her face turned into a giggle at the thought of being reunited with Gaara. Why not take more? Those fools would pay for separating them. Asherah inhaled and looked each of the prisoners in the eyes, touching their faces. "Come, my songlins….There is much to do~."

—-

"Lord Kazekage, you must come quickly! An army of rogue Shinobi approaches Suna! Ebizō's called an emergency meeting!" A young man hurriedly yelled as he saw the Kazekage run down the hall, stopping Gaara before he got to the room Asherah's guards slept in. Gaara whirled around and shook with frustration. "I want you to tell me what's happening, now! What's really happening!" He demanded of his subordinate. The young messenger's face fell in shame as he truthfully told his leader, "I don't know, Lord Gaara. I was only told to give you the message."

Gaara scowled. Was this really so? Strange all this happened the night after Gaara got engaged. But….maybe Asherah had been captured by these enemy forces. Or maybe this was the mutiny he'd always quietly feared. Maybe his own council members _were_ the enemy forces. He knew the elders never really accepted him, they tolerated him. A part of him knew they didn't care for Asherah. They hadn't been grateful for her gift. They had never been friendly or even cordial to her. "May God help you if you're lying." The Kazekage warned the young man, before turning quickly, going to the meeting room.

Ebizō, the first to arrive, had just made his way to the door when Gaara ran down the hallway toward him, "Where is she?! What have you done with Asherah?!" Gaara shouted at him. The moment he saw the satisfied smirk on Ebizō's face, Gaara was hit with a wave of sickening realization. The Kazekage knew whatever was happening, the evil council man had something to do with it. Ebizō glared at Gaara as he spoke, "Gaara, your village is under attack, I think it's time you let your little fling go! Why did you go after that….that creature?! Why couldn't you have just found a nice girl from Suna, hm? You have no idea what you've done, attempting to mate with someone from the Northern nations, a siren, no less!"

"You have no idea what you've done attempting to KILL one from the Northern nations, the siren QUEEN, no less~..."

Came a familiar melodic voice from inside the room.

Ebizō and Gaara looked at each other and threw open the door. There sat Asherah, beside the Kazekage seat, clothed with rags from the prisoners, crudely tied into a tight dress. All of the prisoners were gathered near her, like loving sons around their mother. She sat atop the back of one man, each of her arms rested on a man's head, one prisoner lay face down on the floor, allowing her to place her feet on his back. Asherah had made a human throne for herself.

Gaara felt his insides shake in relief as he saw his bride-to-be, dirty, beaten, tired, but alive. Ebizō felt his insides shake in rage and frustration. Gaara couldn't help but feel a little jealous of all those touching his betrothed. He would deal with that later.

Asherah spoke first to her assailant.

"Since it seems my blood is not Suna enough to have a seat at this table, I will seat myself at this table on a seat of Suna blood." The Queen laughed.

Ebizō was so angry and so amazed that she managed to escape, on the very backs of who he sent to kill her, he could not do much but hiss and stutter. "It's not possible!" He spat.

"Oh, it is quite possible. You took all my clothes, you took away all my jewelry. Never take a siren's jewelry." Asherah tutted, wagging her finger at Ebizō. She sat back, like she would on a large sofa and two prisoners quickly dove to support her. "Our jewelry is the only thing that binds us, heart and mind, it limits how much we can do. With it off, I'm afraid we can do many things. These men belong to me now. I haven't had new songlin in years!" She laughed.

Gaara looked at Asherah, still processing all this, but curious for a definition.

"Like a slave, but willing, they're not held, they choose this." Asherah explained, then she turned back to Ebizō. "So, thank you for stripping me naked after you cracked my skull. It saved my life so I could come back to my draga mea." Asherah said, cooing at Gaara.

"Ebizō, tell me you haven't really done all this." Gaara begged him in a gravelly tone, seeing Asherah's hair and face bloodied from the head wound she received earlier.

Ebizō shook his first at Asherah, his eyes going back and forth between her and Gaara. "I will not allow this marriage! I will write a letter to the feudal lord!"

"Please do! Tell him how a narcissistic old man, blinded by racism, seeks to stop a union that will make Suna a wealthier and more powerful nation by denying the will of the Kazekage and angering the sponsor who lifted the village from war-torn ruins!" Asherah spat.

Ebizō growled at her. "Ebizō, tell me." Gaara rasped dangerously at the elder.

"One as old as you should be wiser." Asherah said as she went to stand on the back of the man her feet were resting on. She began to walk around the room and as she did, a prisoner would dive at the ground and throw his hands in front of her, for her to step on his palms so her bare feet wouldn't have to touch the floor. "I hope you understand that not only have you denied and betrayed the will of your Kazekage, but you have committed a great sociopolitical crime by your attempt on my life."

"You are not Shinobi! You should have died in the dungeons!" Ebizō shouted.

Asherah came to stand a few feet away from him. "The Northern nations function in a love-hate relationship. Should today have resulted in my untimely death, there are creatures in the North, past Skorgan, that I dare not even speak of who would come for revenge on the Shinobi world. Creatures who laugh at sand men and fox boys." Asherah warned, referring to Naruto and Gaara. "If Suna barely survived a war with its neighbors, a war with creatures like those would not only end your village." Asherah said as she stepped closer and hissed at Ebizō. "It would end...your way... of life."

"You treacherous snake!" Ebizō screamed at Asherah. "Go back there where you belong!" The council member shouted as he gathered some of his chakra in his hands to attack Asherah. Asherah was walking away and didn't see it as she spoke.

"Ebizō…" Gaara rasped dangerously.

"I will pardon you for today, if you pay a tribute to the crown. I would like exactly 516 pure white dia-"

Ebizō launched himself towards her.

"SAND COFFIN!" Gaara yelled.

A whoosh of sand and the gut-wrenching crunch of bones….and Ebizō, an elder of Suna, was no more.

Asherah whirled around as the rest of the council peered in the room, they had been listening the entire time. The Queen and the council looked on in horror at the mess Gaara had made.

The council stepped back in shock. The look in Gaara's eyes was the one they had dreaded since his birth. The gleam of death in his jade orbs. Gaara felt it was their fault. They were always trying to control him. They claimed they wanted him to marry and have a family. He fell in love and they responded by trying to murder the woman, _his_ woman. They had gone too far.

"Let all who still support Ebizō's plan come forward." Gaara rasped lowly.

No one moved.

No one but Gaara. He walked over to Asherah and held out his hand, like she had to him the night before. Asherah clasped it in her own. "I am the Kazekage. The council is there to advise and direct me, not to kill my loved ones."

"Lord Gaara, we did not do this."

"Ebizō has always wanted power."

"We had no idea."

Gaara held his hand up to quiet them. They thought he was about to sand coffin them and they all gasped and cowered in fear. "This is the woman I've chosen to marry. No, she isn't from Suna. She doesn't need to be. She loves me and I love her. She also loves our people, just like I do hers."

The council was quiet as they listened to Gaara, looking at the couple.

Asherah squeezed Gaara's hand in a warm response to the words he had just spoken. Happy tears welled in her exhausted, sapphire eyes. Gaara looked over at her, he could see she was very tired and his heart grew worried…..she had missed her swim this morning…..and the effort with the prisoners…..he was about to order someone to get water for her when his thoughts were interrupted..

"Lord Gaara, what shall we do? The rogue army still approaches! There are far too many of them." One council member cried. Not everyone was on board with Ebizō's plan. The advancing army was a real threat.

Gaara looked out and saw just how many attackers there were coming across the desert. Thousands...and thousands….running like ants….. He did not have time to get many soldiers and he was not certain even he could stop that many on his own….What was he to do?

Before Gaara could speak, Asherah squeezed his hand again, "Gaara of Suna, let me help you. We'll do it together."

"No." Gaara said firmly. "You cannot. You are too tired. I will find another way."

"Gaara of Suna." Asherah spoke again, firmly pulling on his hand. He turned to look at her. "With you, there is nothing I cannot do. Take me there. Take us there together, draga mea. Let me stand beside you, now and forever." Asherah smiled wryly.

Gaara saw the look of determination in her eyes and his own were soft with admiration. Asherah had already given so much and she was willing to give more. He picked her up and they travelled on his sand at a high speed to meet the army outside of Suna's walls. The sun burned into Asherah's already dehydrated body. He noticed it felt different, his hands touching her skin…...Usually soft and smooth, almost moist. Was it... papery...now? He moved one of them to the side slightly. His eyes widened when he saw tiny white flakes of flesh falling off of Asherah and covering his palms.

They better hurry.

The Kazekage's bride was running out of time.


	12. Chapter 12 - Planning for Forever

**Thanks for reading! Please let me know if you enjoy! I don't own any of Naruto!**

—

With his fading Queen in his arms, the Kazekage soon reached Suna's border to the open desert. The advancing army was so close, the faces of the front line could be seen. Gaara gently sat Asherah on the sand and she slowly stood, breathing hard. Gaara watched her, his eyes shifting back and forth from her to the enemy. "Gaara…..." Asherah called abruptly, using a hand to comb her hair back. Gaara took that as his signal to move and he quickly made his hand signs. "Sand Tsunami!"

The force that Gaara was able to summon was quite incredible, a massive wall of sand easily washed hundreds of attackers away…

But they were still coming.

Jade eyes narrowed to slits as Gaara looked over at Asherah to see how she could help, and also to see if she was still standing. Asherah had her arms criss-crossed over her chest, hands clutching her shoulders.

Sand tsunami, hm?

That would complement her song nicely.

She looked over at Gaara. "Again!" She called. Gaara looked back at her in disbelief. How many time did she think he could do that in rapid succession? He would try. He made the hand signs and Asherah screamed at him, "Cover your ears!"

"What?!" Gaara screamed back.

If only he would have heard her.

Asherah opened her mouth…..

The world was gone…

Nothing was left but suffering.

Her unearthly shrieking wail in its own mysterious rhythm was carried through Gaara's sand grains. The sand and the song of the sea plowed through every single incoming soldier, thousands of screams resonated with her shriek in the desert as blood sprayed, making the red sand even more crimson. Soldiers not in the sand's way grabbed their heads and crawled like animals.

And Gaara knew what those men were going through. Sweat dripped from every pore. His eyes wide and his body shaking, every bad memory from the past seemed to float in front of his mind, forcing him to relive it over and over. His uncle's death, the final fight with his father, his legacy of loneliness, it was all there. Every muscle, every bone was flooded with pain. Every cell in his body felt like it would burst. He felt like his skin was tearing itself off.

He was a Shinobi.

And Shinobi were trained to endure.

He was the Kazekage.

He had to make it through this.

He grit his teeth as he felt like his fingers, still posed in the tsunami hand sign, were being crushed. His chest started to burn, to ache.

He was reaching his limit.

Even he could not endure much more of this.

When every last soldier was either dead, dying, or retreating, Gaara let his hands drop with a great cry and Asherah abruptly ended the wail on a single note, collapsing. Gaara fell onto all fours and vomited. It felt like something had ripped his soul from his body and stuffed it back inside. He felt like his organs were mush.

No more sight in his eyes, the world was black.

No more sound but his ears ringing.

It was all darkness for a moment as he struggled on the sand like a helpless worm. Struggled to fight through it…

But…..

It was ending, this nightmare. As his senses slowly came back to him, his stomach settled and the white hot physical and emotional pain subsided. Slowly, sight crept back into jade eyes and he realized he was looking at the body of his beloved Asherah, flat on the sand, not moving.

With a grunt of great effort, Gaara forced himself to crawl over to his fiancé. When he reached her, he grabbed her body. It felt like her skin was on fire, she was so hot. The white flakes of flesh she shed grew thicker and thicker. Sand began to whirl around the two, Gaara closed his eyes and pleaded out loud, "I need your help! Take us home!"

A whooshing noise enveloped them and only a moment later, they were standing in the medical ward of the Kage mansion. The healers immediately rushed to the Kazekage when they saw him sink to his knees. "Please, see to Asherah!" He cried. A team quickly placed her on the table as they offered medicine to Gaara. Gaara pushed them away and stumbled over to her, taking her warm hand in his own as the medical ninjas used medical ninjutsu on her. Gaara scowled down at her. Was he too late?

"That's not enough!" Gaara shouted at them. Blood began to seep from the deep cracks on her skin as her breathing ceased. "We are doing all we can, Lord Gaara." The head medical ninja informed him quietly.

"Maybe we can help!" A man called. Gaara and the healers turned to see Vassar and Mathis standing in the doorway. "Where have you two been this entire time?!" The Kazekage growled. "Someone hit us over the head and dragged us out in the desert. We found a returning merchant who showed us the way back." Mathis explained as he and Vassar rushed over to Asherah.

Their eyes were soft as they looked at their hurting Queen. Gaara watched them. "She needs the Black Sea." Vassar said quietly. "What can we use in its place?" Gaara rasped. "Put her in the saltwater pool." Vassar replied. "We'll need to borrow some supplies." Mathis told Gaara. "Take anything you need! Hurry!" Gaara cried, picking Asherah up, determined to carry her himself.

He quickly rushed Asherah to the saltwater pool and slid her into the water. The healers followed him. She hung lifeless like a corpse would, fine lines of blood still leaking from her, spreading through the water. Gaara's scowl deepened. "This isn't working!" The Kazekage shouted. "We said she needs the _Black_ Sea. That is more than salt and water. It has to be a certain acidity level. She needs to enter an alkaline state to heal." Vassar said, as he and Mathis ran up, clutching a couple of bottles they had borrowed from Suna's healing supplies.

"The Black Sea holds the purest water in the world, refined for millennia, it is much more than salt and water." The tall man said as he bent, opened a bottle and poured it into the water. "Crystals of ash." Once that was empty, he poured another, then another. "Iron oxides, activated charcoal, volcanic rock algae..." The added ingredients colored the pool water black, just like the water that surrounded Skorgan.

"This will replicate the make up of our water for now. She will be alright, Gaara of Suna. One like her cannot go in such a dry, hot place for so long and do so much. Not without the sea. All sirens are bound to it." He explained as he stepped back. "Give her time." He advised, walking away as the rest of the healers left to work on a tonic to help Gaara in his own recovery.

Gaara was not satisfied, now he could not even see her in that obsidian colored water.

His Asherah….

Gaara had never taken care of a person before. He had only ever taken care of his cacti, but he wanted to take care of Asherah.

He just needed to learn how.

There must be a way to break this bond between her and the water. Gaara had imagined she would come and live in Suna. He had to find a way to make that possible.

The Kazekage, drained from the day's events laid down beside the pool and fell into a restless, troubled sleep waiting on his fiancé.

In his dreams, he heard Asherah's sweet song….

it was almost like he could feel her stroking his hair….

But then it started to rain…..

cold, wet drops splattered on his face…

He sat up suddenly to see Asherah, out of the pool from the chest up stroking his hair, having been watching him sleep for a few minutes. "Asherah!" Gaara cried in surprise. "Draga mea!" The siren Queen smiled warmly and pulled him in for a cold, wet embrace. Gaara didn't mind. He was just glad to see she was doing much better. Watching her heal was the best tonic in the world.

"What was that horrible thing?" He asked as she held him in her arms still. "That was the Song of Pain. It is my second least favorite to sing." Asherah frowned. "I do not like pain." "Neither do I." Gaara said, finding himself smiling up at her. Her sapphire orbs were rejuvenated and blazing, shining brightly at her love as she chuckled in response. "I did tell you to cover your ears."

"You were amazing." Gaara said as he burrowed against her chest. "As were you, Gaara of Suna." Asherah whispered, placing a kiss on the top of his head. "I will miss you, draga mea." "What do you mean?" Gaara asked, looking up with a pout.

Asherah's heart melted at his sad, smoky eyes. "Draga mea, this will do for tonight, but I need my ocean. The real one. This is just a replica. Besides, I have a wedding to plan." She said, tracing his lips with her finger. "I'm going to find a way to keep you with me, forever." Gaara said, with a dark, determined frown on his face, thinking maybe the medical ninja could come up with an elixir or something. "But the ocean will always need me, draga mea." Asherah said, looking at Gaara with her deep, sapphire eyes. "I'm going to find a way." The Kazekage repeated with determination in his low whisper.

Sitting in that quiet place, with only the water lapping against the sides of the pool, gazing back at his betrothed made Gaara feel warm for some reason, that burning fire of lust and love creeping up his spine. His black-rimmed jade eyes looked down at Asherah's plush, pink lips then back to her eyes as he leaned in. Asherah purred at him in response before their lips met…...

Then they were kissing again at last, as man and woman once again, not Queen, not Kazekage. Asherah nipped at Gaara's lips and he parted them instinctively, letting her pink tongue explore his mouth. Asherah rose out of the water more and Gaara was bold enough to wind an arm around her waist, holding her possessively. Asherah laughed into their kiss and in one smooth motion swept the her love into the pool with her, spinning in the water with him as they devoured each other, happy, alive, and in love.

Gaara's kiss was still innocent and sweet, but Asherah could tell it was deepening into something darker, primal. Slowly, but surely. For one who had killed so many, Gaara's purity was something Asherah marveled at. She looked forward to their wedding night. Gaara decided kissing Asherah was one of his new hobbies, he rated it as highly as cultivating cacti. Maybe higher, actually. As Asherah rolled her body against his in the water, her soft lips enveloping him, he thought he may actually end up liking this making love thing too.

He supposed he would find out soon enough.

He was going to insist their wedding take place as soon as possible.


	13. Chapter 13 - The Skorgan Wedding

**Thanks for reading! I don't own any of Naruto! Please let me know if you enjoy!**

— **-**

The following day, Gaara stood waving goodbye to his future wife. Vassar and Mathis rode on the same ship which they had arrived, Asherah chose to follow along in the water. When she arrived home, since it was Thursday, she was hoping to take her day off. Unfortunately she was not that lucky. One issue after another had arisen in her absence and she spent the day tending to them. Then the day after that, and the day after that. Her nights were reserved for the sea. She did not have time to focus on the wedding. As weeks passed, Gaara saw his sister and Shikamaru get married. He was smiling on their wedding day but on the inside he was jealous. When was he finally going to have his own? He had been ready to marry Asherah the day he asked her.

Gaara was working on it from his end as much as he could, but every time he messaged Asherah about a date, he got an excuse and a delay. Every day the Kazekage's smile from their engagement faded a little. Not only would his fiancé not set a date, it seemed all of Gaara's ideas about the wedding were wrong, and everyone else's were right.

Each time he tried to talk to someone, his council, his siblings, his staff, everything he suggested was labeled as uncouth, too expensive, too cheap, too much, too little, too big, too small, too modern, too traditional…..The list went on and on until the Kazekage's scowl came back. No one asked what either the bride or the groom wanted they simply crammed their ideas down his throat. He hoped he would like being married better than he liked being engaged. He felt lonely, judged, and pressured.

But he was a Shinobi and he would endure.

Once Asherah left the ocean long enough to set a date came the question of _where._ Where would the ceremony be held? To avoid any more delays, Gaara agreed to two ceremonies since they were leaders of two peoples in two very distant lands. Gaara would sail to Skorgan, have a traditional Skorganian ceremony, and then Asherah would follow him back to Suna so the Shinobi world could witness a ceremony for the Kazekage.

Three days before he was supposed to begin his voyage to Skorgan, he gathered those few that were coming with him, and left early, deciding to surprise Asherah. This would give them a bit of time before the wedding to spend together. Gaara would never say it out loud, but he missed Asherah greatly. He wanted to be with his Queen. Morning, noon, and night.

And it was a very good thing he did leave early. There was already a great deal of traffic on the sea and the land when the ship from Suna arrived. Apparently, the Northern kingdoms were more numerous than Gaara had originally thought. Ships upon ships docked and people and creatures from many nations made their way into the island nation to witness the marriage of one who would go down in history as a great and powerful monarch. Forget about having time with Asherah, it would be an accomplishment to get through the crowd in time to attend his own wedding.

Of course, Gaara was allowed to pass once everyone found out who he was. He was greeted by all kinds of different people, by creatures who were large, and those who were very small. It made Gaara happy to be able to meet others without them cowering in fear. He was received warmly. All of the Northern nations' citizens wanted to know who had done the unthinkable and captured the heart of the siren queen.

Vassar and Mathis ushered all of the Shinobi troupe inside once they finally reached the palace. They were shown their rooms and Gaara inquired as to where Asherah was. "After you are engaged, a groom may not look upon his bride before the ceremony, that is Skorganian law." Mathis informed Gaara. Gaara scowled. "Asherah makes her own laws." "Not with the high priest, she doesn't. If tradition is ignored, there will be no wedding." Vassar snorted.

And so for three days, the Kazekage waited. Asherah did not come for him, did not try to sneak and see him. But this actually made Gaara glad. He knew Asherah hated traditions. For her to follow one so their wedding could happen, Gaara knew she was taking it seriously.

The day of the wedding came.

Asherah was being styled for the ceremony by an entire crew of handmaidens, while Gaara, already in his suit, had made his way down to the black sand beach for just a moment to reflect. The gray landscape was bleak but beautiful as the black water lapped against the dark sand. Gaara stirred when he felt a presence behind him. His bride had come to give him a good luck kiss! He turned to greet her.

No.

That was not Asherah. A tall woman, with raven black hair and deep-set gray eyes gazed back at Gaara. Her skin was almost inhumanly pale, her lips a matching pale shade of pink. Her features thin and delicate. Like Asherah, she was beautiful. Unlike Asherah, she wore no jewelry. Like Asherah, she was regal and elegant. Unlike Asherah, she was not inviting, but ominous. Though she also had no chakra, Gaara used his to feel the creeping darkness coming from her aura. Who was this? He had chosen not to wear his gourd….he wondered if that was a mistake…...but then the woman moved her arms and he saw the jagged scar across her abdomen…...could this be…?

"You are Asherah's mother?" Gaara asked. She looked at Gaara for a long moment before she answered, her voice mysterious and resonating, sounding like it was many fused into one.

"Yes."

"Do you know who I am?" Gaara asked.

"Yes." Came the same reply.

"Do you know what is happening today?" He asked.

"Yes."

"Is that why you are here?" He asked.

The woman did not respond, she simply held out her hand and dropped something onto the sand. Gaara looked down at it, when he looked back up, she was already gone. Gaara walked over and picked it up, a single gold chain. A bracelet. He put it in his pocket. He would ask Asherah later, but he was sure it must be sacred to the sirens. Gaara's eyes wandered over the Black Sea, searching. Not even a splash. Talgryn was right. Odessa was elusive. As his wife, he hoped Odessa's daughter would not take after her mother.

Vassar and Mathis collected Gaara from the shore when it was time. They led Gaara to the front of the wedding procession, then past the palace, down through the city, and along the limestone cliffs, towering several stories over the dark ocean. The grass was so green it hardly looked real, a beautiful complement to Skorgan's pale gray sky.

Courtesans, dignitaries, leaders from the other Northern nations, and various creatures all made a circle around Gaara and the high priest who joined him on the cliff side. Townspeople and regular citizens filed in the back. Offshore, several ships idled at the cliff side, their passengers and crew members silent and squinting, eager to see and hear what they could. Gaara felt nauseous when he proposed but today, he just felt exhilarated. He was prepared now. No more fear. No more self-doubt. He was ready.

So was his bride as he saw her walk into view with her handmaidens trailing behind. She was so beautiful Gaara's breath hitched in his throat. Asherah's makeup was soft and rosy, perfectly highlighting her high cheekbones, sapphire eyes, and her plump lips. Her lace dress glimmered in the cloudy daylight, tiny, tiny diamonds interwoven with the lace. Her train gently swept through the grass as Ossa and Arda lifted her sheer cape, embroidered with sapphires. She did not carry her scepter, but wore all of her many jewelry pieces. Her hair was partially braided, but partially down, chromatic, multi-colored waves dancing over her shoulders and her back.

Her sapphire eyes locked onto Gaara's jade orbs as she made her way to him. Gaara watched his bride in awe. As she walked up, the priest took her hand and joined it to Gaara's. Gaara felt like everything was moving in slow motion. Was this real? The priest asked them to repeat the traditional vows of Skorgan after him. Asherah went first, looking into Gaara's jaded eyes as she spoke:

"You cannot possess me for I belong to myself.

You cannot force me for I am free.

But I will do all that is necessary for you.

I vow to you that your name will be on my lips in the night and your eyes the first I see in the morning.

I vow to you my life and my death, each in your care.

I will watch over you and you will watch over me.

I will not disrespect you, but honor you above all others.

This is the marriage bond of two parts of a whole in the land by the Black Sea."

The priest led Gaara to repeat the same and the Kazekage did, grasping his new spouse's hand firmly in his own.

After their vows were finished, they earned the priest's blessing and were pronounced husband and wife. The crowd cheered happily around them. Gaara held his new bride, kissing her deeply. He found himself smiling into it as she threw her arms around his neck. When Asherah pulled back with a joyful laugh, the Kazekage looked at his bride with wonder.

He couldn't believe he, Gaara, socially and emotionally stunted Gaara, just got married. Especially to this woman. Gaara took her hand and they walked side by side with the rest of the ceremony attendees to the reception. Lots of music, lots of food followed. They spent the next few hours dancing and visiting with their guests. Asherah introduced Gaara to all he had not already met. Gaara was happy and he was polite, but he was waiting. Waiting for the moment when he could finally be alone with his bride. Tonight would be special, he could feel it.

The party went late into the night, but gradually the music got calmer, slower….the guests that lingered started to leave. Gaara went and found his bride staring out over a balcony, watching the ocean. He wrapped his arms around her from behind. Asherah closed her eyes and leaned her head back against his chest. Gaara looked down at her with soft, jade eyes as he spoke, and the siren Queen's heart fluttered "Asherah of Skorgan, your husband wants to make love to you."


	14. Chapter 14 - What Gold Restrains

**Thanks for reading! I don't own any of Naruto! Please let me know if you enjoy!**

—

Asherah took Gaara by the hand and led him away from the party, up the stairs and to that large room with the pool in it. Her room. She walked Gaara over to the bed and sat him on it, stood in front of him, and used one hand to rustle his hair and the other she placed against his face, looking into his eyes. "Gaara of Suna, are you ready?" She asked, softly. They were married, Gaara was a virgin. She wanted Gaara to consent because he wanted her, not because he felt pressured.

The Kazekage's jade eyes were curious as he looked up at her, "Yes." He replied, in his low, raspy voice. He was ready to see, ready to feel, ready to touch. He wanted this experience with his new wife. He had never done anything like this before. He could sense Asherah was more versed in this than him, he did not care. Gaara was not one to dwell on the past. He lived in the present. His present was Asherah. So was his future.

As he stood to softly hold her hips in his hands, his heart fluttered with love. He was so in love with her. He vowed this experience, this he would only have with his wife. If death came for her first one day, then he would wait until he was in the next world and could see her again. The Kazekage was holding the siren Queen, but the siren Queen was holding his heart.

Their lips met, sweetly at first. Feather soft kisses of true love, before they began to linger, delving deeper, hungrier. Gaara's grip on his wife's hips tightened and she gently grasped his face in both of her hands. It was Gaara who asked for entrance this time, Asherah happily complied, letting him explore with his tongue as her fingers knotted in his hair. Gaara tore away from their kiss and began to kiss down her jawline, daring to move down her neck. The cape and the dress stopped him from going further and he pulled back at Asherah and frowned.

"What's the matter, draga mea?" Asherah asked, looking at her groom. "I don't know what to do." Gaara said, embarrassed. "Then let me show you." Asherah said, lifting his fingers, moving hers over his as she helped him unfasten her cape, then her dress. She slid her cape off and wriggled free from her wedding gown. Sirens weren't fond of layers, so she wore no undergarments, and this time that she stood in front of Gaara naked, her hair didn't cover everything like it had previously. Curious jade eyes scanned over her. Gaara had never seen a woman naked and exposed, he had never even seen a picture of a woman naked. He wasn't sure what to think. He knew he liked the way Asherah's hips curved and he thought she had pretty skin, but that was about it. Gaara knew nothing of sex, so his thoughts weren't dirty.

All that was left was his wife's many pieces of jewelry. She held out her arms to Gaara. "Now remove all of the silver, for silver restrains the mind of the siren." She said seriously.

Gaara took off all of her bracelets and several rings. "Sapphire restrains the heart, my cape is off, so I am free to give my heart to you." She said with a nod.

"Remove the diamonds, diamond restrain the body of the siren." She said, arching her neck so Gaara could take off her diamond necklace.

"Do you have the bracelet?" She asked. Gaara's mind went back to his brief encounter with Odessa. "The one my mother gave you?" Asherah questioned.

Gaara removed the bracelet from his pocket and asked. "How did you know?"

"I assumed she would bring it. I will put it on in a moment." Asherah said, taking it from him and sitting it down on a small table.

Gaara wondered what gold restrained on the siren and why she wanted it that way. She just freed everything, what was she holding back from him? "Why?" He asked.

"You will see in time. Do you like it, you and I, Gaara of Suna?" Asherah asked, slipping his jacket off of him and starting to unbutton his suit.

"Yes…" he replied, his cheeks turning pink, Asherah had his shirt off and was working on his trouser zipper. No one had ever seen him naked that he could remember. Maybe a medical ninja, that was it.

Quickly.

Asherah divested him of his trousers and then his underwear until he stood in front of her naked as well.

They looked at each other in the moonlight. Asherah took in his handsome face, his muscles, lean but chiseled, his smoky jade eyes a beautiful compliment to his blood red hair, his manhood. Gaara was still learning what a woman looked like naked. It was true, they were very different from men. Asherah's body did not have the hard lines his did, it was more soft, more inviting. He wanted to touch his wife. He reached out a hand in the silence.

Asherah let him.

Gaara's fingers first floated along her collarbone, then across her chest, over her breasts, down her back, her abdomen, her bottom, her legs, her feet. Gaara spent several minutes finding out what every inch of her felt like. Her skin was almost inhumanly soft, the salt and minerals of the sea had exfoliated it to the extreme. He liked that.

So he kept going.

He didn't stop touching her, hands holding her softly in the bright moonlight. Asherah did not rush him, did not push him, she let Gaara do what he wanted. A man needed to feel powerful to feel respected, and a man needed to feel respected to feel loved. And Gaara was all of those things.

Powerful, respected, loved.

Gaara found her breasts again and cupped them in his hands, looking at them closely. He liked them. They reminded him of soft bread, everything about them except their rosy peaks. He took those peaks in his fingers and squeezed them, his eyes moved up to Asherah as she gasped.

"Did I hurt you?" Gaara asked, concerned.

Asherah chuckled. "No, draga mea, of course not. Go on." She urged her husband, stroking his hair soothingly.

Gaara wanted to know what they tasted like, he wasn't that naive. He knew women breastfed their babies.

Something he missed out on with his own mother.

Asherah's hands tightened in his hair and he heard his wife mewl as he took a nipple into his mouth and sucked on it rhythmically. After a few moments, he switched to the other. He noticed Asherah's moans grew louder and looked up, pulling back. "What's wrong?" He asked.

"Don't stop. Take me, Gaara. Take all of me!" Asherah begged him. Gaara was a virgin, but through her hazy, desperate gaze, through the neediness in her voice, he instantly understood.

The flame of desire burned inside of him, now hot and unleashed, guided by instinct.

This was HIS wife.

She had laid herself bare before him, given her body, heart, and mind over to him, her husband.

He was making her feel good.

But he was going to make her feel better.

Gaara attacked her body, biting and kissing, licking and sucking, until his own manhood pressed against her thigh. His hot, ragged breaths mixed with the siren Queen's moans of pleasure as he devoured her. He grunted as his tip suddenly moved against wetness. He looked down and noticed a trickle of fluid running down Asherah's thigh.

"What is…..?" Gaara started to ask before his bride pushed him so he was completely on his back. Gaara's eyes widened as she crawled over him. He looked at her as closely as he could when she spread herself over him. A woman was different from a man…..that was….an opening?

"AAAAAhh-hh!" Gaara's eyes widened, the redhead moaned as she slowly sat down on him, watching himself disappear inch by inch into his bride.

That was what went inside!

It went inside there!

Asherah seated herself on him and took a deep breath, arching her back. Gaara gasped in shock. So wet, so hot! He had never even touched himself before. It felt like she was squeezing his manhood from the inside.

He was going to burst. He had to move. He growled and flipped them over so she was on her back instead and began to thrust instinctively. They both panted as he started to pound into her, hard and fast. Asherah cried out and pushed him back, if he was going to move that quick, she was going to make it feel better.

Gaara had much to learn.

Asherah had much to teach.

She wanted to show him another position.

She crawled onto all fours and offered herself to her husband so he could have her from behind. He took his hands and began to squeeze her bottom cheeks. They were soft but firm. Gaara was a little confused as to why she was doing this, what they had been doing was amazing. Why the change? But then he saw the second opening, between the clefts of her plump cheeks. She forgot this was her virgin husband….

He thought surely she wanted him there.

Gaara clutched her bottom, each cheek in a hand, digging his nails in to her flesh as he plunged into her second opening, crying out as white hot heat enveloped him. This one was even tighter than the first!

Asherah's eyes went wide in surprise.

"YYYEESS!" Gaara growled.

"G-gaara! NO! Nooo! Aaaaaaahhhh!" Asherah cried in protest, yelps escaping her mouth as her husband hit a bundle of nerves deep inside her, one hand wrapping around her chest to pull her upright, the other going down to grab and play at her wetness.

"You gave yourself to me body, mind…..nnnh!...and heart.." Gaara growled. "You told me to take all of you. That means I can take whatever I want." The Kazekage looked down at the siren Queen with possessive jade orbs. Asherah listened, gasping for breath as she whined.

There was no more curiosity in his voice.

Now there was danger.

Even for Asherah, it was not a wise thing to deny Gaara something he wanted and had been promised.

"I understand….mmm…..now." Gaara panted as his fingers curled inside of her wet opening. "This is mine." "Aaaah!" Asherah cried out. "These are mine." Gaara said, smoky eyes looking down at her breasts as he squeezed them. Asherah whimpered. "This is mine!" Gaara shouted, squeezing her bottom and thrusting into her hard.

"Draga mea, Please!" Asherah cried hoarsely.

Gaara grumbled at her in protest.

"For me?" She asked breathlessly, reaching a hand up to Gaara's face behind her, cupping it softly.

The Kazekage's bride whispering to him had him purring in response as he pulled out of her, going into her first opening as she had originally expected.

Tonight they danced a different kind of dance and Gaara had his rhythm now. Asherah's nails dug into the sheets as sweat dripped down Gaara's back.

His thrusts became violent and fast.

His breathing got heavier…..his grunts turned to needy whimpers….Asherah felt him start to swell…..

Asherah realized she had forgotten to put on her bracelet.

"Draga mea….listen….pull out of me…before….…" She moaned, feeling herself flutter around him.

"W-what? No way!" Gaara cried.

This felt amazing.

He felt amazing.

He never wanted to pull out. If he could walk around and go about his day inside Asherah, he would. There was no loneliness, no war, no hard choices. No demons, no trauma.

There was only love and pleasure.

This place, inside his wife, was just for him, he was supposed to be here. How could he ever leave?

Gaara's fingers were still working on his wife and they accidentally found a little button of nerves, deep in the petals of Asherah's sex. When they began to circle that special spot, the siren Queen cried out as her climax washed over her.

Gaara's eyes widened as his member was squeezed and he felt himself be absorbed in to pure bliss.

He thought he felt something leave his body.

He wasn't sure what he felt, he held on to Asherah for dear life as he experienced his first orgasm, deep inside his wife.

The Kazekage's eyes rolled back into his head.

"Asherah!" He called his wife's name in a husky whisper as he came back to earth.

When it was over, he collapsed beside her and pulled her into his arms, purring and kissing her face sweetly.

Asherah smiled happily at him and kissed him back. "I love you, my husband." She said, her heart slowing back to normal as Gaara stroked her hair, his eyes soft, "I love you, my wife."

They lay in the darkness, holding each other quietly as exhaustion began to creep over them both.

Gaara felt so relaxed, so at peace.

Asherah was truly his now, in every way.

And that was never going to change.

He slept well when they cuddled and laying there, he looked forward to another incredible night of sleep.

Snuggled with his bride, a thought occurred to him and he asked her before they fell asleep, "That bracelet. It's gold. What does gold restrain?"

Asherah yawned and whispered to him as she fell asleep, "My womb."

With those two words, the Kazekage's pulse spiked.

His drowsiness vanished.

Jade eyes popped open wide in shock and fear.

What did she just say?


	15. Chapter 15 - The Vows of Suna

**Thanks for reading! I don't own any of Naruto! Please let me know if you enjoy!**

—

When morning came, Asherah stretched and yawned, screaming and jumping back as her husband's jade eyes were inches from her own, tired, wide, and anxious.

"How are you feeling?" Gaara rasped.

"I….feel fine?…..oh, draga mea! Do not be so naive, please!" Asherah said, laughing.

Gaara had been up all night, worried about the baby he thought would surely come.

Asherah reached into the small table beside the bed and pulled out a silver box, opened it, and placed an opalescent orb into her mouth, biting it and swallowing. "Do you think we have nothing but gold from the earth? Pearls from the mermaids will keep a child from troubling us."

Troubling us. Those words unexpectedly hurt Gaara, if only a little.

The Kazekage's response caught Asherah off guard.

"Oh." He said, simply and quietly, and he cast his eyes down.

Was he disappointed?

Gaara had just spent an entire night contemplating becoming a parent. At first he was terrified, afraid he wouldn't be a good father. But, he had become something precious to someone in a way he never thought possible, he had become a husband. Maybe he could become a parent too?

He knew what it felt like to be rejected, to be unloved, and in his heart he had so much love to give.

And with time, he had learned to give.

He gave to his people, and now to Asherah.

And they gave back.

He would give to his child.

And that child would give back in return.

Now he felt strangely disheartened that there would be no child after all.

Asherah put her hands on his chest and touched his face, moving so their eyes met as she stroked his cheek. "Draga mea, a step at a time?...One day."

Gaara's sad, smoky eyes brightened and a small smile formed on his face as he repeated after her. "One day."

"For now, we have to attend our second wedding." Asherah whispered softly to him, giving him a gentle kiss.

Gaara let himself melt against Asherah's lips. They had a wonderful time last night, there was no reason they couldn't have a wonderful time today too…

The Kazekage smirked and purred into his wife's kiss, grabbing and squeezing her bottom cheeks in each of his hands as he slowly fell backward on the bed, pulling his bride down on top of him.

Asherah whimpered as his hands began to wander over her.

She was a little sore from last night.

"Put on the bracelet." Gaara commanded her, voice husky with lust, his eyes narrowed to slits as he nipped at her neck.

Although sex was new to him, Gaara was the Kazekage, he was instinctively dominant.

He was also a fast learner.

As Asherah reached for the simple strand of woven gold, she knew they would be arriving in Suna later than expected…..

—

While the newlyweds had their morning romp, one uninvited wedding guest had finally reached his destination, the far eastern kingdom of Tuvanya, after traveling through the night without sleeping. He had hidden in the throngs of people the day before as a seemingly normal citizen. Was he a messenger? A spy? Both?

The traveler barged through a large door in a very old, very crumbling, marble castle. Inside the room stood a tall man with long, white hair and pink eyes. Dressed in simple black robes, he drank out of a crystal goblet while he watched the snow fall outside.

The man with white hair did not turn to look at the traveler.

The traveler said nothing.

The snow fell silently.

The man with white hair finally spoke, "And so, it has happened then?...Really?" He asked slowly, quietly, keeping his eyes on the snow.

"Yes, sire, I witnessed it with my own eyes!...Yesterday on the cliffs above the Black Sea!...A grand procession….w-w-with members of all nations…...a-a-and Shinobi!" The traveler sputtered.

The snow fell gently.

"Leave me." The man with white hair spoke so softly it was almost a whisper. He did not turn around.

The traveler said nothing else and quickly left the room, closing the door.

The white haired man's pink eyes still watched the snow fall, silently, to the ground.

"So you wish it," He crushed the goblet in his hand to pieces, "then so it shall be…...For now~." Blood dripped from his hand, staining the marble floor below him red, as a dark chuckle filled the room.

—-

In what seemed like only minutes to the lovers, Gaara and Asherah found themselves standing on a platform in Suna, hand in hand, facing each other, in front of a large crowd of friends, dignitaries, and Shinobi. Gaara wore his signature red coat. Asherah matched him in color, wearing a long dress made of rubies that swirled over her breasts and hips, trickling past her legs and circling the ground like a fish tail. The parts of her that were not covered by her dress, her arms, abdomen, and back, had the same black fishnet over them that Gaara and Temari wore. With her hair braided and her jewelry on, she looked into her handsome husband's eyes as the crowd silenced and the officiant guided them through their second set of vows, the vows of Suna.

"Do you pledge to honor and protect one another?" The officiant asked.

"I do so pledge." Gaara rasped.

"I do so pledge." Asherah nodded.

"Do you pledge to keep one another in your hearts in times of peace and of war?" The officiant asked.

"I do so pledge." Gaara rasped.

"I do so pledge." Asherah nodded.

"Do you pledge unyielding loyalty and unending devotion, no matter the cost?" The officiant asked.

"I do so pledge." Gaara rasped.

"I do so pledge." Asherah nodded.

"Then look at one another and vow your eternal love, that no enemy may ever break." The officiant asked.

"Asherah of Skorgan, I vow my eternal love to you, that no enemy may ever break." Gaara vowed to his bride, smoky jade eyes soft with admiration.

"Gaara of Suna, I vow my eternal love to you, that no enemy may ever break." Asherah said, sapphire eyes shining into his.

The officiant grabbed both of their hands and held them up to the crowd.

"The Kazekage and his wife!" He shouted loudly.

The crowd cheered. Naruto whistled. Hinata clapped and smiled, happy for the couple.

The party began with food, music, and dancing. Gaara thought it was identical to their first reception. Asherah secretly felt the one in Skorgan was better. Skorgan knew how to party.

It didn't matter though.

They weren't there long.

The first dark corner Asherah passed by, a hand was placed over her mouth and she screamed into it, as she was dragged into the darkness.

"Stop squirming~." Gaara purred into her ear, already kissing her neck. Asherah instantly relaxed, pulse still racing with adrenaline from the shock, and fell into the sweet, teasing kisses her groom placed on her skin.

The pair were not seen again that night.

Or the next.

Going about his daily duties, Gaara had a spring in his step and a smile on his usually stoic face. This was the happiest he'd been since he was made Kazekage.

He loved being with Asherah, their marriage just cemented their relationship. He loved being able to talk to her about anything, everything. He loved sleeping curled up with her, waking up beside her, and kissing her breasts each morning. He loved watching her sapphire eyes open to the sun for the first time each new day.

He loved making love to her, and not just on a physical level. Gaara enjoyed the pleasure from sex, he enjoyed Asherah's body, but what he enjoyed more was the bond it created between them. Taking part in the most intimate act between two people with the woman he loved was magical to Gaara.

He had never been this close to anyone before.

He was fairly certain he would never be again.

This woman had come from the sea and illuminated his dark world.

When he woke one morning to small pieces of shed flesh on his arm, he frowned. He placed Asherah, still sleeping, in the saltwater pool, added the necessary ingredients to replicate the Black Sea, and thought.

He had to face the undeniable truth that Asherah would never be able to stay with him permanently until he found a way to disconnect her from the sea.

Or connect Suna…...somehow…...to the sea?

….And then what of her people?

What would they do without a leader?

Gaara had spent many nights thinking on these dilemmas. So far, he had been unsuccessful in forming a solution.

He would have to speak with Naruto, Shikamaru, and Temari. Maybe one of them would have an idea.

His union to the siren Queen had been good for both the Northern nations and the Shinobi world. Trade had started between the two. Travel was also starting to become popular. Security was tight, of course, but many tour companies had sprung up that offered members of the Shinobi world guided cruises to see the beauty and overwhelming opulence of Skorgan.

Trips from Skorgan were not as popular.

But the island nation happily welcomed their visitors.

Previously, Skorgan had not gotten many.

Being allowed to move freely after the last Shinobi World War, one former Konoha Shinobi was particularly intrigued by these trips and signed up, happily purchasing a ticket and boarding the cruise ship. Lured by tales of creatures who could manipulate heart and mind with song, give kisses of immortality, and unleash innumerable talents with mere pieces of jewelry, Orochimaru stood on deck of the large ship, setting sail for Skorgan.

The Sannin chuckled to himself.

What powers could he discover in this new land?


	16. Chapter 16 - Old Friends

**Thanks for reading! I don't own any of Naruto! Please let me know if you enjoy!**

—

Orochimaru minded his business on the cruise, pretending to be taking the trip just to sightsee. Of course, he wore a pretty convincing disguise. He was dressed as a simple merchant and posed as a widower.

So, once the ship arrived at Skorgan, no one suspected anything. He crept out of his cabin one night, cut a lifeboat loose, and departed the ship, going on a cruise of his on. He was sure there was more to this part of the world than what was listed on the brochure.

He paddled through the water but it wasn't long until he was stopped by rows and rows of mermaids.

"No visitorssss beyond this pointttt!" A mermaid hissed at him, the many others behind her scowled.

The mermaids were not beautiful like Asherah, like the sirens. Half human, half fish, they looked menacing and ominous in the Black Sea under the moonlight.

"My dear, I am simply a merchant who lost his way. Have you seen a large ship traveling past?" Orochimaru said innocently.

"You are no merchanttttt! Be gone from this place!" The mermaid spat, diving forward to attack before Orochimaru chuckled and quickly swerved his lifeboat out of the way.

As he made his escape, he thought about what he had just seen. So it was true, there were strange beings in this place. He wanted to know more about those he just saw, at least for now.

That is, until he saw there was land not far from where he was in the water. He cautiously approached, but this was not guarded by mermaids. This must be an entirely different place.

He laughed to himself as he disembarked his boat and took the first steps of his exploration, "How interesting~."

—

The Kazekage and his wife adjusted to their long distance relationship, trying to stay together as much as possible. Gaara visited Asherah in Skorgan every chance he got, but his duties as Kazekage prohibited him from staying long. Asherah came to Suna often and stayed as long as her body would allow. She left Vassar and Mathis in charge while she was away.

One peaceful morning as she sat beside her husband, in her saltwater tub that Gaara had specially designed and placed in his office for her. Gaara was doing his daily paperwork, Asherah was filing her nails. They both looked up as a messenger from Skorgan burst in the room.

"Queen Asherah, hear my urgent report! There is great unrest in the Eastern Lands! Tales of torture and death abound! The people fear Skorgan is next! You have been summoned to a meeting with all of the Northern Nations' leaders immediately!" The man all but shouted at Asherah, his eyes wide from his long journey.

"Unrest in the east? I do not interfere with the Eastern Lands. That is their problem." Asherah shrugged, settling back in the water.

Gaara listened along silently, interested.

It must have been important for this man to cross the desert.

What was this all about?

"With all due respect your majesty, the weapons being used are strange and unforeseen, as if…...they may have come from an outside nation." He looked at Gaara briefly, then back at Asherah. "Since you are the leader who married a foreigner and brings them in by boat to view our world, I'm afraid you are under suspicion for these acts. If you decline to attend this meeting, I fear you may be taken by force." The messenger said quietly, casting his eyes down.

"Suspicion for these acts?! Taken by force?! What blasphemy do you dare speak to me?! Myself and my people have no interest in harming others! Neither does Gaara! Neither does Suna! War and conflict has not come to Skorgan under my reign and as I am Queen, I will not allow it!" Asherah thundered as she stood up out of the water, climbing from the tub when Gaara stopped her.

"We will go." He told the messenger quietly.

"What?!" Asherah asked in surprise.

"I said, we will go. We will attend the meeting. You will go, and I will come with you, as your husband to support you, and as the Kazekage to show that Suna means no harm." Gaara nodded to the messenger.

The terrified messenger bowed gratefully to Gaara and turned, starting his long journey home to relate the message that Gaara and Asherah would be present.

"I am sure that everyone thinks I am behind whatever is going on." Gaara rasped once he left. "I am new in your world and I lead a strong nation of warriors."

"This is ridiculous! This is a lie!" Asherah exclaimed.

"Of course it is, but that does not stop suspicion." Gaara said, looking at his wife with his smoky eyes as he thought.

"Doesn't Skorgan have enemies?" He asked.

"Everyone has enemies. But, the only way in and out of my country is through the sea. Sirens are rare, few and far between, though mermaids are plentiful. Vicious, brutal, ruthless creatures, they patrol the waterways, any attack would be destroyed before it began. It always has been." Asherah said frantically. "The visitors aren't allowed to leave the cruise ships, there's no way….Unless….." Asherah said slowly, then she scowled.

"Unless what?" Gaara asked his wife.

Asherah growled. "Unless an old friend holds a grudge. Did you see a man, a tall man with bright white hair the day we married in Skorgan?" Asherah asked, starting to pace back and forth.

"No." Gaara said.

Asherah stopped and stood, her chest rising and falling as she took a minute to breathe, "I find these things, like this meeting, so boring, so dull. I will struggle to pay attention. This is not fair of them to demand this of me!" She cried in frustration.

"I will go with you and I will pay attention for us both. I've sat through many of these over the years." Gaara said, watching his wife.

He would be there with her, they would get to the bottom of this together.

Possessiveness clouded Gaara's mind as he looked at her.

"Asherah…" Gaara called to her. The siren Queen stopped her pacing and glanced at her husband. "We will deal with this, together. You belong to me and I belong to you." Gaara purred, walking over and kissing his wife, placing his hands around her waist.

Gaara's kiss calmed her, once it ended, she pulled away with a smile.

"Go and pack for us both, I'll finish my paperwork, and we'll leave later this afternoon." Gaara said, dominant as usual.

"Why don't we leave earlier this afternoon?" Asherah blinked.

Gaara's hand slid down her back and he gave her bottom a hard pinch. "Because I'm craving something sweet after my lunch, now go~." He said, with a commanding growl as Asherah gasped playfully and ran off.

He felt his loins clutch in jealousy as his eyes scanned over his wife's body, watching her leave the room.

Who was this old friend?

Gaara didn't live in the past, no, but that didn't mean he enjoyed thinking about it either.

If he saw another man put his hands on Asherah, he wasn't sure he would be able to keep his calm composure he had developed over the years.

Besides, if this "old friend" was murdering people and blaming the Kazekage, what was this "friend" trying to do?

One thing was certain.

He was certainly no friend to Gaara.


	17. Chapter 17 -LoatheLoveLust

**Thanks for reading! I don't own any of Naruto! Please let me know if you enjoy!**

— **-**

The meeting was held deep in the snowy marble kingdom, a far distance inland and east from the Black Sea. The journey would have taken quite some time on foot, but with Gaara using his sand to transport himself, his wife, and her two guards, it took only a few hours.

When they arrived outside the crumbling marble castle, the snow flurried down upon then and Gaara shivered. He was not used to cold like this. Vassar was kind enough to wrap some furs around the Kazekage to insulate him.

Asherah would have done it herself if she were not so upset.

From the moment Gaara sat them on the ground, she marched towards the castle, throwing her diamond scepter ahead of her forcefully with each step.

Gaara knew she was angry they had to attend this meeting, but when it was related that the meeting would be held here, a deep scowl formed on his wife's beautiful face.

Since then, the scowl had remained.

What was it about this place that displeased Asherah so?

Gaara, Vassar, and Mathis hurried to follow her.

They all entered, and were shown to their rooms.

The castle was pure marble, inside and out, few decorations were hung. When the light hit the right spots, it was an almost blinding encasement of white from floor to ceiling.

Gaara caught glimpses of the other nations' leaders in the hallways, walking to and fro.

They had all arrived early.

The meeting did not start until tomorrow.

Asherah did not speak to anyone or introduce Gaara and he did not ask her to.

He was here to support his wife, in any way he could….

He spent the evening supporting her with his body. They had been served quite a meal in their room, after which his darling siren Queen attacked him with zeal.

Asherah was always receptive to Gaara's very frequent advances, but tonight she had been different….ravenous….almost…..needy?

When they were in the throes of passion, she clutched onto Gaara and dug her nails into his flesh as if she were afraid he would simply fall away if she let go.

It concerned Gaara because Asherah was the most independent person he had ever met. He was usually the one holding onto his wife, wanting to be as close to her as possible.

Maybe Asherah just needed to feel their bond?

After they finished, Asherah dozed on the bed as Gaara stood in the bathroom, drying himself off after his shower. He quickly prepared for his most favorite time of the day…..their before-sleep cuddle.

He would lay in her arms, then she would lay in his. His mouth may find its way to one of her nipples and she would purr and stroke his hair as he suckled and listened to her heartbeat….

…...And that time with his beloved was Gaara's refuge from the world and all of its worries.

Smoky jade eyes were soft with happy anticipation as he left the bathroom, until they widened with shock.

Behind his sleeping wife sat a tall man with white hair and pink eyes, looking down at her.

The man dared to lift his hand up, lowering it down...down...down... to touch her shoulder.

No man was going to touch Asherah but Gaara.

The Kazekage decided that a long time ago.

Before his hand graced her skin, Gaara shouted and lunged towards him. "Get away from her!"

Asherah sat up with a cry of surprise and as Gaara's hand reached the white-haired man, the man's body seemed to drift away into a frigid, wet wind.

It blew away softly, leaving Gaara's skin cold and damp, as Asherah frantically asked.

"What happened?! What's the matter?!"

"There was a…...nothing." Gaara said, shaking his head.

Gaara knew what he had just seen, but Asherah was already upset, he could protect her from whoever or whatever that was, there was no point in troubling her.

The Kazekage was perceptive but so was his wife, she could feel the icy, wet chill on Gaara's skin and she saw the look in his eyes. She knew.

But Gaara didn't, not yet.

"Draga mea, I'm sorry." She said, leaning her forehead against his. "I'm so sorry." She cooed to him softly as he wrapped his arms around her waist and they laid back.

Finally, Gaara got his cuddle and Asherah got her rest.

What was she sorry for?

Who was that?

 _What_ was that?

Gaara hoped soon he would have some answers.

—

The next day the meeting was about to start. Asherah, clad in her usual diamond attire, sat beside Gaara in his simple red coat. They were both elbow to elbow with the Northern Nations leaders who grumbled among themselves. Gaara didn't know how many lands there were, but there were plenty.

The table they sat at would easily accommodate fifteen, but more were squeezed in here and there.

However, one chair, at the end of the table, sat empty.

"He isssss very pretty~." An eerie voice behind Gaara purred in a vulgar whisper.

Gaara turned around to see a…...He guessed it was a woman? It looked like some sort of half-human, half-fish creature staring at him from where she sat in an open tank of water.

"Unfortunately, you're not." Asherah replied to the creature while she admired one of her rings. "Why are the mermaids represented here today, Vogna? You know I am sovereign over the sea and all its creatures."

"I wasn't talking to you, Assshherah!" The mermaid hissed.

Gaara could sense the level of animosity between the two.

But he was surprised when Asherah let Vogna, the mermaid, call her by her first name.

Gaara knew mermaids served as Skorgan's first natural defense, but this one….Could this mermaid be the one who challenged Skorgan the night he met his wife? Were they rivals of sorts?

"And my husband wasn't talking to _you_." Asherah growled in return, turning to blaze her sapphire eyes at the mermaid.

Before Vogna could respond, a small, elderly woman walked up to the table and clanged what looked like a handheld drum against its side.

All fell silent.

"Meeting in session!" The old woman called. "Today's topic is the torture and death of citizens from numerous countries at the hands of an unforeseen enemy…."

The cries of condemnation came immediately.

"It's your fault our people die!" One ruler shouted, pointing at the couple.

"You've married a monster and now we pay the price!" Another yelled.

"Will you really say these things about me when the one who feeds on pain and suffering failed to attend?!" Asherah screeched, pointing at the empty chair. "Ask where he is! Ask! Did he come to my wedding?! Why not?! This is all his doing and you know that! Search your hearts! Use your minds! I wonder if you can, since they are so clouded by fear." The siren Queen snarled at them all.

That didn't assuage them.

"My people have suffered so much, you should be de-throned and your husband, Gaara of Suna should be executed! This is his doing! His people kill for fun!" A third accuser suggested.

He went too far.

"ENOUGH!" Asherah bellowed.

She opened her mouth again and that horrible, howling, shriek, the siren's Song of Pain, that Gaara heard in the desert, escaped her lips.

Condemning remarks turned to screams as everyone clapped their hands over their ears.

Gaara began to feel lightheaded.

But then, that icy, wet wind from the previous night blew through and the redhead watched as it poured itself into his wife's mouth.

The shriek stopped abruptly and Asherah gasped, the air stripped from her lungs for just a second.

"I was hoping to leave you breathless one more time, but not like this." A low, seductive male voice called from the dark corner of the room.

Who was that?

Gaara scowled.

Asherah panted once the frigid air escaped her lips. She was able to breathe again, but raggedly, her lungs still burning from the cold blast.

Gaara saw her eyes.

Was that fear?

Whether it was fear or hate, it dulled their normal, happy, sapphire glow.

A tall, white-haired man stepped from the darkness into the room, an ornate black brocade suit covering, but highlighting, his slim physique.

Gaara's jade orbs widened.

That was him! That was the man that dared to enter their bed last night!

The man looked at Asherah with wide, hungry eyes, his pupils pink as cherries, as if he were _so_ excited to see her. His skin was so morbidly pale Gaara wondered if he was ill. His eyelashes and brows were also stark white, matching his hair.

"It's good to see you're still beautiful, Ash." The man said, his pale pink lips curling into a smirk as he sat in the empty seat.

Ash? Who did he think he was?! Gaara didn't even call her "Ash".

"Address me 'your majesty.', Zalanth of the marble kingdom." Asherah gasped with a hand on her chest.

 _Zalanth._ Gaara thought.

The enemy had a name.

"Your majesty?!" The man raised a brow. "The little girl I pulled from a cage? I don't think so, Ash." The white-haired man chuckled.

"I asked it of the man I love, I command it of you!" Asherah roared at him, her fists clenched.

"How bold you have become, little fish. Do you remember our love? Do you remember who used their fists to pull you out of the darkness?" He asked, his rich, deep, pink eyes feigning sadness.

"I remember when the same fists that broke the bars on my cage were used to break my bones." Asherah said quietly.

Gaara scowled at the man in disgust. Rage boiled in his veins.

"I should have known when you were deaf to my song….only a true darkheart cannot hear a siren's melody. You have no love, no joy, no mercy." Asherah hissed at Zalanth, sapphire eyes burning bright.

"No, but I have…..delight. I delight in other's suffering…..but yours was the sweetest." The man dared to laugh.

"And that is the exact reason why…..!" Asherah began excitedly, pointing a long, tapered finger at the white-haired man.

"...I am not behind these attacks." The white-haired man finished, cutting her off as he shrugged. "Ever since, that day, many years ago, you imprisoned me in this castle, I cannot leave. How could I possibly do these things?"

Asherah looked like she was going to punch him.

"Remember what I taught you, Ash, never trust the one who sleeps beside you." Zalanth grinned, looking at Gaara.

The other leaders looked at the Kazekage too, suspiciously.

"However…." Zalanth continued. "While not as fancy as the great Skorgan," he laughed mockingly, "I will happily offer protection from the marble kingdom to each land whose leader cuts off all trade with the island in the Black Sea." Zalanth smirked at the Siren Queen.

Asherah's jaw dropped.

"Think of it as a wedding present…." Zalanth said with an evil smile.

"Everyone knows Skorgan is the wealthiest and the most powerful nation in the North! I, nor my husband, have no reason to attack anyone here! Will you look at this villain and truly tell me otherwise?! Our nation needs trade to maintain!" Asherah pleaded with the others.

Her words were useless.

Their minds were already made up. Blood had been spilled and in return, they wanted blood, her's and Gaara's. For now, they would settle for trade restrictions, so Asherah's people would suffer.

"Majesty, you will either find the culprit of these attacks, or war will come to Skorgan in one way or another. We have little reason to trust Zalanth but no reason at all to trust your new husband. Love can be blinding. Should you catch the one responsible and expose them, we will reopen trade. Meeting adjourned." The elderly woman declared, clanging the handheld drum on the table again.

The other leaders grumbled and went to their rooms, their eyes downcast. They were clearly not satisfied.

Vogna was pulled away in her tank, eyeing Gaara still while she licked her lips.

Asherah and Gaara were left alone with Zalanth.

"What is it that you really want, Zalanth?" Asherah asked, looking at him with loathing.

"Same thing I've always wanted, Ash….." Zalanth said as he looked her over lustily. "...To rule the world."

"No one should rule the world." Asherah glared.

"No one but me." Zalanth smirked.

"Surely I thought this castle would keep you confined. I know, somehow, you're the one killing and torturing. It's what you're best at. You did not attend my wedding. Jealous? The past is behind us, you fool! Why don't you find someone else to torment instead of me?" Asherah hissed at him.

"Believe me, I've tried."

Zalanth shrugged. "Those others just don't bleed like you, Ash." The white-haired man chuckled.

Gaara hated Zalanth from the bottom of his soul.

Gaara had a dark past, yes, but he was ashamed of his younger days. Zalanth was an animal and he was proud of it.

Asherah grimaced and turned away in disdain, storming out of the room, her scepter making cracking sounds on the marble floor.

"Not my fault you look good in red!" Zalanth called after her, watching her bottom as she walked.

"You know that she's my wife." Gaara rasped dangerously, looking at Zalanth like he was an insect.

"For now, small fry, are you the soldier from sunacashmuna? You're shorter than I imagined." The white-haired man mocked Gaara and his home.

"I am Gaara of the red sand, the Kazekage of Sunakagure." Gaara said proudly, his chin high and shoulders square.

Zalanth stood to his full height and looked at Gaara intently.

Gaara looked back, unintimidated.

The two men stared each other down in a silent battle.

"That's where you're wrong, sandman." Zalanth teased as he walked out of the room, purposely slamming his shoulder into Gaara's as he passed. His words echoed in Gaara's ears as fury burned through his chakra points, "To me, you're just a mistake."

—-

Gaara ran to find his wife in their room, half-collapsed by the side of the bed, struggling for breath with her hand on her chest. The Kazekage underestimated the power of that icy wind. He quickly rounded Vassar and Mathis up, took Asherah in his arms, and using his sand, they started their journey back to Skorgan.

As they were carried home, Asherah looked up at Gaara and tears began to fall from her eyes. Gaara frowned and wiped them away as best he could, one hand controlling the sand.

It broke his heart to see Asherah weep.

What had that beast, Zalanth, done? Were the scars on her back his doing?

Those were questions he would have to ask later.

This new villain was a threat in more ways than one.

Gaara wanted to return to Suna as quickly as possible to work on a plan for his defeat.

—-

Back in the castle, Zalanth walked up the large marble staircase to the tower room where he spent ample amounts of time.

"It is as you say. She is truly attached, but I can still _feel_ the fear in her voice." Zalanth said with a shudder, as if fear were a decadent candy to him. "She's onto me, about the attacks. I think the meeting gave it away. Are you sure this will work? Can you really set me free?"

"I gave you my word as a Shinobi." A smooth chuckle cooed at him from the other end of the room.

"This fool named Gaara is annoying. Why not just kill him today?" Zalanth sighed, sitting down. "I would still hold my end of the bargain."

At the other end of the room, Orochimaru grinned sinisterly at the white-haired man. "No, that would be too easy. Patience always pays off, and besides, I like keeping things…..interesting~."


	18. Chapter 18 - That No Enemy May Part Us

**Thanks for reading! I don't own any of Naruto! Please let me know if you enjoy!**

—

In one whirling whoosh, the Kazekage's sand blasted him and his wife into the large room with the pool in it on the island nation of Skorgan. As soon as Gaara saw Asherah resting comfortably, he immediately set sail for Suna. He knew the enemy better now and he wanted Shikamaru to help with a plan for Zalanth's demise as soon as possible.

Gaara's voyage back to Suna seemed longer than ever and his heart ached. It was bad enough to be parted from his wife at all, especially now with a monster trying to end their marriage and war at her country's doorstep.

The plan would have to be made quickly.

—

In Skorgan, after her recovery, Asherah tried to help her people as best she could. With trade restricted, supplies soon became low and the once happy people began to need food and other basic life necessities. Vassar and Mathis tried to enforce conservation and recycling efforts, but the people began to grow restless. Would their queen really just leave things like it was? While the people didn't believe for a moment that Asherah or Gaara was guilty, they wanted to see progress!

—-

Finally, Gaara had his plan. Shikamaru had formulated the strategy but had declined to come, staying behind since Gaara's sister, Temari, was now pregnant. Gaara had been happy for the couple, but right now he was a little preoccupied.

In Shikamaru's place, Naruto had promised to send "powerful reinforcements" from Konoha. The Kazekage did not know which or how many Shinobi that would be, but he was grateful for any help. Gaara intended for them all to gather in Skorgan and then travel to Tuvagnya, to eliminate the threat by attacking Zalanth directly.

If only they knew Orochimaru had a hand in all the chaos….

Gaara gathered his troops of Suna Shinobi he had chosen to bring along.

As the ships began their voyage, the Kazekage's mind went to his wife.

He missed her face…..missed her touch…...missed their talks…..like he always did…..but this time it seemed more painful.

When he slept, horrible nightmares of Zalanth and Asherah played through his mind.

Gaara was looking forward to sleeping peacefully again.

—-

In the marble kingdom of Tuvagnya, far to the east, evil deeds were underway.

"Is it ready?" Zalanth asked as Orochimaru held up a bottle containing a viscous purple liquid.

"It would seem so~." He grinned at the tall, white-haired man.

Zalanth quickly ordered two horses to be saddled and he rode with Orochimaru to the border of Tuvagnya, where the land met the northern edge of the Black Sea.

Zalanth breathed in the fresh air as they rode along.

"How does it feel? Freedom?" Orochimaru asked with a smirk.

"It feels wonderful, but even with your help, as long as Asherah lives, I can never truly be free, can I?" Zalanth asked.

"I wonder what you'll choose in the end~." Orochimaru pondered, curious. "It doesn't really matter to me. As long as you give me what you promised…."

The two dismounted their horses and walked to the edge of the tide.

"You can have all the mermaids and sirens you want. I don't care what you do with them. As long as you leave Asherah and the throne to me." Zalanth snorted.

Orochimaru laughed as he opened the bottle and poured the purple liquid into the sea. "Let the games begin~."

—-

Some days later, aboard the Kazekage's ship, Skorgan appeared in the distance and Gaara wondered if Asherah was thinking of him…

…...At the same time, across the sea, Asherah wondered if Gaara was thinking of her. Her mind was heavy with all the burdens the prohibition on trade had caused. Alone in her large room, she needed the open sea to clear her mind, not even her pool would do. She opened the large door and walked out, the cool mist hitting her skin as she plunged into the depths below, scepter and all.

As she fell, she noticed the water's black surface was lined with bodies…

As she got closer, her eyes widened in horror…

Mermaid bodies…siren bodies…

No music from either.

Sounds…...screams.

She hit the water with a splash.

Instead of peace, there was agony.

There was only agony in the sea she called home.

Something was dreadfully wrong, she felt like her body was on fire as every inch of her burned, her muscles twisted, her organs convulsing.

Asherah struggled to swim through it to get to shore, but her body just wouldn't move.

The only thing she could do was scream.

And her screams of excruciating torture mingled with the others…..

Sirens and mermaids trapped in waters of pain, unable to move, at the mercy of the tide they so loved.

A short while later , Gaara's ships entered the area and the Kazekage closed his eyes to listen to the music coming from the palace he was so accustomed to now…

Sounds…..not music…...

His eyes popped open and narrowed to slits when he realized there was no singing, there was only screaming.

The sand was dotted with thousands of bodies.

More slowly washed up, tears streaming from their eyes, their faces contorted.

In too much pain to move, the rolling tide was their only way of transportation now.

Asherah!

Gaara saw Asherah there! Lying on the shore!

He jumped out of the ship before he thought, his sand rushing under his feet to carry him safely to his wife's side.

It got worse as he approached.

His heart dropped into his stomach as he realized the damage.

The shore was almost covered with the gasping, writhing bodies of mermaids and sirens, having innocently been swimming in the water, their own home poisoned against them.

Asherah shook and quivered on the sand, her body was covered in burns, some of her hair singed away.

She looked far from her usual, regal self.

Gaara still thought she was beautiful.

Her eyes were hazy with pain as she looked up to see her husband, "G-G-Gaara…?" She whispered.

"I'm here." Gaara rasped in his gravely tone, he would have picked her up, but he was afraid to touch her. How would he grasp her and not hurt her more?

A scowl came over his face.

Zalanth.

This was Zalanth, Gaara knew that.

"Lord Kazekage, there's someone coming!" A Shinobi shouted from one of Gaara's ships. He snarled and looked up to see, creeping silently through the misty black waves, boat after boat after boat of Tuvagnyan warriors and….sound Shinobi?!"

"Ash…..Ash…...where are you, Ash?" Gaara growled as Zalanth called out from a ship still far out in the sea, Orochimaru beside him, grinning at Gaara.

What was he doing here?

Asherah grit her teeth in Gaara's arms at the sound. "H-How?" She hissed.

How was he free?

Gaara knew. Orochimaru must have cast a jutsu to let him out of that old, crumbling castle.

"Come out and play, Ash. I'm sending in some toy soldiers, but I'll be waiting for you out here. No need to worry about _your_ toy soldier, though. You won't need him under Skorgan's new king." Zalanth said with a wicked grin.

There in the mist on that black sand beach, Gaara saw soldiers, dressed in all white. Tall, strong soldiers, running towards the dead and dying on the beach.

Gaara used the sand in his gourd to hold them off as his troops began to row the massive ships towards him as quickly as they could.

Unfortunately, here in this land, the sand Gaara could use was limited to what was in his gourd, and it simply wasn't enough.

The marble kingdom's warriors seemed to be made of stone and no matter how Gaara tried to crush them, or push them away, they just plowed through the sand blasts.

It was no use.

He was overwhelmed by the sheer number of his enemies…

His own soldiers were still several hundred feet from shore…..

They wouldn't reach him in time.

His sand clustered around two advancing marble soldiers, who used their polished white blades to hack through it like it was an ordinary cloud of dust.

Regardless, Gaara would protect his wife with all that he had, even if he had nothing left.

As the marble warriors closed in, Gaara threw his body over Asherah so he would take the first blows, in an act of selfless love.

His sand whirled around them, trying desperately to block the marble soldiers with a wall, but they crashed right through it.

Gaara braced for the hit that would end his life, squeezing his eyes shut, he quickly kissed Asherah's forehead, and tightened every muscle in his body. Asherah closed her eyes.

Then he heard it….

A whoosh and a crunch.

No hit, no blow landed upon him.

Gaara, with Asherah still clutched in his arms, cracked his eyes open and saw a wall of fur in front of him.

Two marble soldiers laid unmoving a short distance away from the wall of fur.

They were so still, Gaara knew they must be dead.

He blinked as the fur moved and he realized the wall of fur was a cape….a cape for a man.

As more soldiers closed in, the wall of fur spun around, and Talgryn the terrible, Gaara's father-in-law, looked down at Gaara and Asherah.

Gaara had forgotten how fierce Asherah's father was, staring up into his cold, dangerous gaze, the jagged scars climbing over his face like vines.

Still, there was a sadness in his dark eyes as he snorted and laid a body beside Gaara.

Gaara looked over and saw…..the pale woman with dark hair that looked similar to Asherah…...Odessa!

Of course, Asherah's mother was injured too!

….Though her body was not burned and her hair not singed…...

"Save my Odessa. If she dies, I can never rest." Talgryn growled.

"RRRAAAGGHH!" The massive man roared, using both fists to punch two advancing marble soldiers .

Gaara could hear bones splintering, organs rupturing as his fists collided with their chests.

The soldiers fell on the sand, still, like the others.

Dead.

Gaara instantly respected Talgryn as a warrior.

Regardless of his past, he possessed great strength. He wasn't called Talgryn the terrible for nothing.

Talgryn reached over and pried Asherah's scepter from her hand.

Gaara started to protest but the hulking king pounded it against the sand and with one loud snap, a large, diamond covered axe handle sprang out of a concealed compartment.

Then Gaara understood. It had belonged to him before Asherah adopted it.

To her, it was a scepter. To Talgryn, it was a diamond-covered, skull-crushing axe..

"Go now!" Talgryn roared at Gaara, wiping out four marble soldiers in one swing.

The enemy troops ran across the black sand like white ants. By now, Gaara's Shinobis were disembarking from the ship and they ran to help Skorgan's former king.

Gaara carefully picked up his wife and mother-in-law and quickly carried them to the medical unit in Asherah's palace.

Vassar and Mathis worked with the healers to make them more comfortable, but there wasn't much to do.

Vassar shook his head at Gaara, "They need the sea. The sea must be cleansed."

"Without it?" Gaara asked.

"They will surely die." Vassar said, hanging his head.

Gaara grit his teeth and flinched.

He couldn't lose Asherah…

How could he cleanse the sea?

Asherah weakly blinked. "G-ga-gaara….w-what…?"

A healer came in and spoke to the group.

"Majesty." The healer called. Asherah couldn't turn her head but her eyes moved to the sound of the voice.

"The Black Sea has been contaminated. It seems someone poured poison into the water and the natural acidity we love so dearly has strengthened it." He spoke.

Asherah sighed in frustration.

"The poison appears to have come from Suna, your majesty." The healer spoke.

Gaara's eyes widened and his composure broke. He snapped before he could stop himself, "That's a lie! Zalanth and an evil being from the Shinobi world are out there right now! It is their doing! I would never hurt…" he whispered as he cradled Asherah's head in his arms.

"...Asherah." Gaara whispered, kissing her forehead.

"Lies…" Asherah rasped.

"What?" Gaara asked, worried.

Did she believe he had done this?

Asherah lifted her shaking hands and moaned as she clasped them over Gaara's. She looked into his eyes and spoke through the pain, "I know those are lies…...draga mea….. I pledged to you….my living…..and my dying…...you pledged to me no enemy…..would part us…" Asherah's eyes clouded with tears, her breathing hitched.

Asherah could really die.

Gaara had spent his life alone, and now he had found his true love. Would the same man who murdered his father take her from him?

The Kazekage felt tears pool in his own jade orbs as Asherah whispered through dry lips, "Keep your vow to me…..Gaara of Suna!….don't let him…..part us…"

Gaara did not bring enough men to fight both Zalanth and Orochimaru. He was sure even Talgryn wasn't up to the task.

As Asherah went limp and unconscious, Gaara's tears fell and splashed down on his injured wife.

A comforting hand was placed on Gaara's shoulder and he felt an eerie calm wash over him.

His tears stopped abruptly.

A voice that sounded like many but was only one spoke, otherworldly and mysterious, "Now is not the time for weeping, Gaara of Suna. Now is the time for work."

Gaara looked up to see Odessa standing behind him.

His eyes widened.

No burns…

And come to think of it, Gaara remembered there was no water on her at all, her hair and skin were dry.

She had not been in the sea!

Odessa had not been injured, she was faking to stir Talgryn to battle.

Suddenly, Gaara heard a voice calling from the window.

He and Odessa turned to look out over the ocean.

"Gaara! Gaara of Suna! It is I, Rock Lee, the handsome devil of the village hidden in the leaves! We are the powerful reinforcements the Hokage sent!" A voice called from a distance out on the sea.

In the distance, Gaara could see Rock Lee waving from a large ship packed with some of Konoha's most talented Shinobi.

A soft smile formed on Gaara's face.

A smile of hope.

They could win this if everyone worked together.

One thought echoed in his mind as he turned to Odessa:

 _Asherah of Skorgan, my wife, I will keep my pledge to you, that no enemy may ever part us._


	19. Chapter 19 - Home to Suna

**Thanks for reading! I don't own any of Naruto! Please let me know if you enjoy!**

— **-**

Quickly, the ship from Konoha docked and the Shinobi hurled themselves into battle alongside of Talgryn the Terrible and his great diamond axe. High above, Odessa and Gaara watched from the window as Asherah laid in bed, unconscious and injured. Gaara's eyes narrowed to slits…..

Out on the ocean, Orochimaru and Zalanth were standing together on the deck of their ship.

Now Orochimaru stood alone…

That must mean…..

"Yes, that's right." An evil chuckle came from Zalanth as he stepped into the room, watching Gaara think. "While your strongest is distracted, I've come for your head, your blood, your bones, whatever I can rip off, really. Oh, and of course, _my_ toy." Zalanth laughed as he looked at Asherah.

"You're disgusting." Gaara rasped with a grimace on his face.

Zalanth shrugged. "And you must be closed-minded. Either way, she'll come with me now."

Gaara made a hand sign and the sand in his gourd instantly rushed at Zalanth.

The white-haired man laughed and raised his hand also, turning Gaara's sand into a fine powder with a blast of that icy, unforgiving wind.

The Kazekage snarled.

He was Gaara of the red sand, he used the same resilient grains from Suna for both defense and attack.

If they were rendered useless…

Zalanth interrupted his thoughts by blowing across his palm, hitting Gaara in the chest with a gust.

The Kazekage had his breath knocked out of him as the force slammed him violently across the room, close to Odessa.

"This won't take long." Zalanth said mockingly as Gaara struggled to his feet.

Odessa bent down to Gaara, not to help him up, but so her own deep, grey eyes were level with his smoky jade orbs. Inches from his face, she grabbed his wrists and spoke in her deep, mysterious voice, "You love the one who carries the heart of the Black Sea. Use anything you need to protect what is precious to you."

Gaara didn't understand what she meant and before he could ask, Odessa pressed her nose against his and stared so directly into his eyes, their lashes touched as she repeated, " _Anything_ you need."

Zalanth fired another blast of soul-sucking, frosty wind at both of them. Odessa jumped clear and Gaara quickly rolled out of the way.

He was the Kazekage and he would win this battle.

He glared at Zalanth as he stood and clenched his fists.

As Gaara squared off with the white-haired man, Odessa was out the window and gone, her eyes focused on Rock Lee as he opened the third chakra gate on shore.

Gates…

Gates of increasing power…...

The Siren of the Black Sea had a plan as she rushed towards the bushy-browed Shinobi.

—

Zalanth and Gaara traded blows back and forth, until all of Gaara's sand was crushed to powder by the extreme cold force.

No more defense.

No time to attack.

Gaara grit his teeth as another of Zalanth's frigid blasts of air forced him against the wall, the crushing cold threatening to stop his heart.

The white-haired man smirked. "Remarkable, isn't it? Only ninety-seconds to freeze you solid."

Across the room, Asherah cracked her eyes open, slowly, painfully.

Though her eyes were hazy, and her mind fogged with agony, she could feel Gaara was in trouble…..she knew he was in the room….

He needed her.

She had to make it to her love, even if it killed her.

She used every fiber of her being to roll off the bed and crawl, dragging her damaged body to be beside Gaara.

Gaara looked over at his wife as his body was being frozen and destroyed.

He wanted to tell her he was sorry.

He failed, he couldn't protect her, couldn't even save himself.

But Asherah spoke instead, "Draga…..mea…...you…...are stronger than he is…." She wheezed, placing a kiss on Gaara's cheek before she collapsed.

His eyes widened.

Asherah still believed in him, even when he stopped believing in himself.

It was no ordinary kiss she gave him.

It was the same kiss she gave her soldiers that night they first met, the kiss of a siren that granted temporary immortality.

Unyielding strength.

As her lips touched his face, Gaara felt the freezing stop, Zalanth's wind was temporarily halted and the villain staggered back with a cry of surprise.

 _Anything I need?_ Gaara thought, looking out at the battle raging on the black shore.

With his wife at his side, fighting for him and with him to the bitter end, the Kazekage found a new strength.

He stared Zalanth down with the same cold look in his eyes he carried when Shukaku slept within him.

Zalanth raised his hand, Gaara raised his…..

—

Odessa made her way down to the shore.

The best path to Lee was directly through the battlefield.

That meant she needed to pause the fighting.

She opened her elegant, pink lips and sang a few otherworldly notes that resonated across the craggy rocks and over the surface of the water.

The battle stopped as every man turned to look at her, staring in trance-like, helpless admiration.

Every man but Orochimaru.

"Oh my! Why is the snake man not listening to that wonderful music?!" Lee gushed happily as Odessa walked up to him, her black hair and skirts flowing behind her as she took him gently and led him out to the Black Sea directly in front of Orochimaru.

The poison dared not touch Odessa.

"All men have darkness in their hearts, but some men's hearts are simply dark." Odessa explained to Lee in her mysterious, otherworldly voice.

Orochimaru grinned at the two who had come to face him.

"Strongheart," Odessa said, grabbing Lee's shoulders and turning him to look directly into his eyes.

 _Open the final gate_

 _So my child may save her mate_

 _Take my kiss and you will see,_

 _The ocean black will make you all you can be_

The black-haired siren sang to Lee before she closed her eyes and kissed his lips.

Lee was transported to another world.

There was no more Konoha or Skorgan….there was only Odessa.

Lee's eyes were dilated and his mouth was open just a bit as he entered into bondage to the siren.

Odessa smiled at him. It had been many years since she took a new songlin.

She stepped back and snapped her fingers to jolt Lee out of it, pulling the same violin and bow from her skirts that Asherah played at the Skald.

"On my count, Strongheart." Odessa called to Lee as he snarled at Orochimaru and took a stance.

"One…"

Zalanth's wind swirled around him, Gaara, and Asherah, ready to kill.

"Two….."

"Striking shadow snake!" Orochimaru yelled, opening his mouth, letting the black serpent race towards Lee and Odessa.

"Three!" Odessa cried as she struck the stringless bow across the violin, making a rageful hiss as Lee jumped into the air.

" **Leaf Hurricane, Fourth Gate Open! Gate of Pain!** " Lee screamed as he flew into the middle of the sea, a wall of water rising angrily in response to Odessa's violin.

Gaara's focus had never been more concrete as he closed his eyes.

" **Sand Tsunami!** " The Kazekage yelled.

He could feel it.

It was happening.

Zalanth's icy blast was no match for the powerful flood of black sand that whipped off of Skorgan's shore at the Kazekage's command, shredding the frosty wind into puffs of air and throwing the villain with pink eyes into the poisoned water below.

Gaara raised his other hand to lift the corners of the shore, blanketing the entire island in a protective shield of black sand as Odessa and Lee created a literal cyclone in the middle of the ocean.

" **Eighth Gate Open! Gate of Death!"** Lee screamed as Odessa played on furiously, the water rising and falling, rising and falling, swirling and raging until it finally folded underneath itself and swept all the marble soldiers, Zalanth, Orochimaru and his ship, and all the poison into a deep volcanic cavern, miles below the surface.

Odessa and Lee were plunged into the depths as sea level dropped dramatically.

The siren quickly grabbed the dark-haired young man and held on. If she didn't, he would surely drown.

A massive surge of water flooded into the area, shooting Lee and Odessa to the top as poison-free, clean water was forced into the gap, covering the island's borders with a new, pure Black Sea.

Gaara held his shaking arms in the air as the wall of water beat against his giant tent of black sand, releasing it only once the sea had settled itself back into place.

Gaara fell to his knees, panting.

He had reached his limit.

The air rang with the cheers of Skorgan's citizens.

Gaara was shown to be a hero, the true enemy was defeated.

One by one, the mermaids and sirens were placed in the clean water to heal and recover.

As Gaara stumbled to the shore and returned his wife to the ocean with a gentle kiss, he turned around to see Talgryn crawling on his knees towards Odessa, who walked quickly towards the tide.

"Beautiful Odessa, my love, my life, eighteen long years I have searched the world for you. Please, please..forgive the sins of my youth…." Talgryn pleaded, grabbing ahold of her hem like a beggar.

Odessa looked down at him coldly and shook her skirts so he was thrown off.

Gaara was surprised though…..was that…...softness….. in her eyes?

"Why have you come if you still feel nothing for me?! I will do anything to stand at your side again! I will give you my life! I already have! My life, Odessa! The life of a great King!" Talgryn cried desperately, throwing his arms pitifully around her waist.

Odessa tried to look angry but Gaara could see the amusement on her face.

She looked down at the father of her child and hissed in her otherworldly echo of a voice, "A palace out of diamonds black as coal."

"Anything, my Odessa, anything." Talgryn mumbled into her hip, nuzzling her.

"You will resume position as the King. Our daughter needs to live her life with the one her heart loves. Your heart, Talgryn, and your life, belong to me, and I belong to the sea." Odessa commanded.

Talgryn looked up, afraid of what that last declaration meant.

"But I will come to the shore every night to see you." Odessa purred as she cupped the massive man's face.

Talgryn stood up with a happy growl and wound his arms possessively around the siren, kissing her fiercely.

Hmm….Gaara thought.

Asherah's people would have a ruler now, without her, and Odessa would most certainly keep Talgryn in line.

Shikamaru had mentioned building an aqueduct from Skorgan that connected to an underground pool so Asherah could always be in the Black Sea…..

Happiness flowed through Gaara's exhausted body and a smile washed over his face.

This time, Asherah was coming home with him to stay.


	20. Chapter 20 - Settling In

**Thanks for reading! I don't own any of Naruto! Please let me know if you enjoy!**

—

The battle had been waged and won. A massive Skald was held shortly after in celebration of Gaara, Odessa, Talgryn, Asherah, and Rock Lee. The party was enjoyed by all as the music of Skorgan echoed across the sea.

Talgryn was so happy to have Odessa, he didn't even realize there was a party, all he saw was his siren love.

Word spread quickly of the events that had taken place.

Zalanth and Orochimaru were presumed to be dead, although their bodies were never found.

While the boats the Shinobi had traveled on were being repaired, Gaara spent time with Asherah, but he did not mention taking her to Suna permanently.

Not yet.

A week or two after the battle, the ships were by the dock, looking brand new, and ready to sail.

Gaara finally took the opportunity one evening, to speak his mind to his wife, while they had their nightly cuddle.

"Your father agreed to serve as King again." Gaara rasped as Asherah laid on his chest, the two of them lying on her bed in that large room with the pool in it.

"Yes, I was not surprised. He would do anything to have my mother at his side. She promised me she will not let him follow all of the old ways, not after I worked so hard to abolish them." Asherah yawned.

"That means you can finally be at my side." Gaara said, looking down at her with soft, possessive jade orbs.

"What do you mean, _cuddlekage_?" Asherah cooed, looking up at him.

Only Asherah could get away with teasing Gaara like that.

Gaara purred as he stroked her hair and settled her back against his shoulder. "I want you with me, morning, noon, and night. My brother-in-law will oversee a special lagoon built for you under the Kage mansion. You can return to the water when you wish, but you never have to leave me again."

Asherah blinked at Gaara. "And what am I to do all day, draga mea? You surely have matters to tend to. You cannot spend every moment with me. If I am not the Queen, if I am not in the sea, then what will I become? A simple housewife? Is that what you want?" She asked, getting irritated as she spoke, pushing herself up to look at her red-headed husband in the darkness.

Gaara was not very socially aware but he assumed "Yes" was the wrong answer, although that was very much what he wanted to say.

"No wife of mine will ever be simple." Gaara replied, touching the strands of her multicolored hair that hung down and touched his chest and face. "You know I cannot stay here, I do not have parents to take my place so I can be free from my duties. Do you want us to spend the rest of our lives apart? Is that what _you_ want?"

Asherah scowled and sat up in bed, turning away from him.

This is what he had been afraid of.

Gaara sat up behind her and pressed a sweet, gentle kiss to that sensitive spot on her neck he had found some time ago. "I miss you, Asherah. I want to hear you, to see you, to touch you. Every day, all day." Gaara whispered in her ear as his hands began to trail over her arms and across her torso.

"Mmm…..I miss you too, Draga Mea." Asherah cooed in response, leaning back against him as his palms found her breasts.

Gaara pulled her back on the bed, nipping at her neck as she purred in the darkness, "Very well, draga mea, I will make Suna my new home."

—

The next morning, Asherah said goodbye to her parents, her people, and her ocean. Of course, she would be back to visit frequently, but she couldn't help feeling sad as the ship pulled away.

Vassar and Mathis, her guards, stood waving beside of the Siren Queen and her handmaidens, Ossa and Arda.

Asherah still had to have her best staff.

After all, just because she married Gaara didn't mean she was no longer royalty.

Besides, once the aqueduct was completed, travel between the two lands would be much easier, at least for her and her people.

This time the voyage seemed longer than ever before, but finally, they arrived at Suna's gates.

When they walked into the Kage mansion, Gaara grabbed Asherah's hand and brought it to his lips to kiss it gently, "We're home." The Kazekage rasped.

For some reason, Asherah felt nervous.

Could she be the wife Gaara wanted?

—

The following morning, by the time Asherah woke, Gaara was already in his office.

She quickly summoned all four of her servants to her and Gaara's new home.

The Siren Queen sat as Vassar and Mathis served her breakfast….

Then she swam in the faux Black Sea, the saltwater pool….

Then she looked at the timepiece on the wall…

Only mid-morning.

With an exasperated sigh, she looked out the window.

She really loved Gaara, she did, but it was so hot here….

And her lagoon wasn't finished yet….

No people to tend, no mermaids to irritate…

What was she supposed to do?

Vassar and Mathis cooked and cleaned.

She was still a Queen, domestic duties were beneath her.

Asherah banged her wrist down on the arm of the chair she sat in and her bracelets made a loud clang.

She had let her father keep his axe, at least for now. That meant she had no scepter.

"Ossa! Arda! Braid my hair! We're going out!" Asherah commanded as her handmaidens rushed over.

"Going out where, your majesty?" Ossa asked as she began to elegantly plait the Queen's chromatic hair.

"Out to play." Asherah smirked.

—

Asherah did indeed go out to play in the village, dressed in her diamond attire, she mingled with the villagers. She had met several during her previous visits to Suna, but now she wanted to meet everyone.

It took some time, but she did it.

Gaara was working on creating a sort of office for her, a voice he could give her in Suna's government so she wouldn't feel so empty.

But that took time.

While she waited, Asherah developed a penchant for shopping.

Each day when Gaara returned home, he saw more bags and more boxes of dresses, lipsticks, perfume, and jewelry.

Asherah came from the richest nation in the North, and she was wealthy enough to shop wherever she wanted every day for the rest of her life…

And still have money to spare.

Gaara didn't mind. He thought this was just her way of settling in. If it made her happy, it made him happy.

Asherah became a good wife.

She was loyal and loving, attentive to Gaara's needs, and she did attempt to cook him dinner every once in a while.

The couple were deeply in love and spent their evenings falling into each other's arms.

At night, the cries of their passion echoed off the walls.

And so, Gaara and Asherah lived in domestic bliss.

Mostly.

One night, after they made love, Gaara laid awake, his wife sleeping in his arms.

Though their bodies and hearts were connected, their minds were in different places…

Asherah thought they were perfectly happy. She certainly was.

Gaara was troubled over something he had begun to feel lately. Almost a hunger, a desire, but for what?

He was the Kazekage of a great nation. The most beautiful woman he had ever seen, who loved him for himself, laid in his arms.

What else could he want?

—

In a few months, Asherah's lagoon was finished and she and her staff happily celebrated, taking their first swim in it. The aqueduct that supplied clean water straight from the Black Sea was quite powerful. She was amazed at the speed it gave the cycling water. It would be incredibly quick to visit home now.

Shikamaru wasted no time in taking his pregnant wife back to Konoha once the project was completed.

Asherah gathered Ossa and Arda, leaving Vassar and Mathis to do the housework while the Queen and her ladies took a quick trip to Skorgan.

—-

Asherah was still away when Temari gave birth.

Gaara was the first visitor at the hospital when his nephew, Shidaki was born.

Temari smiled at him weakly as the Kazekage awkwardly but carefully cradled the newborn.

Gaara didn't say much, he just looked on in awe.

How could someone that small even be alive?

The baby had dark hair like his father, but eyes like Temari's.

He was beautiful.

Once the Hokage, Gaara's friend Naruto, came with his wife Hinata, Gaara said his goodbyes to the new family.

Outside the window of Temari's hospital room, the Kazekage saw the pride in Shikamaru's eyes as he leaned down to kiss his infant son. Gaara watched the baby coo in response.

A strange mixture of happiness and envy gripped Gaara's heart, a feeling that ran straight down to his loins.

Temari had a son, Naruto had a son, Gaara had heard rumors that Sasuke Uchiha would soon have a child as well.

Families.

They all had families.

Gaara now understood that strange hunger he had felt recently.

Gaara wanted to feel the same pride Shikamaru and Naruto felt.

The pride of a father.

Asherah was a good wife.

But Gaara wanted her to be a good mother.

He wanted a baby.


	21. Chapter 21 - Make Me a Father

**Thanks for reading! I don't own any of Naruto! Please let me know if you enjoy!**

— **-**

The Kazekage was ready for his baby.

The nights after he returned home, while Asherah was still away on her visit, he spent reading about pregnancy and infant care.

Gaara sat waiting beside the underground pool when Asherah arrived home from Skorgan.

She rode in via aqueduct, deep under the Kage mansion, to see her handsome husband staring at her with loving, jade eyes.

"Hello, draga mea." Asherah cooed as she quickly made her way to the water's edge.

Gaara let out a low purr as he embraced his wife and nuzzled into her chromatic hair. "I missed you."

"I missed you as well." The siren Queen replied with a sad smile, running her fingers through Gaara's hair.

She was going to tell Gaara something, but before she had a chance, he spoke.

"Temari gave birth." Gaara stated simply.

He wanted Asherah to know, of course, but he also wanted to see her reaction.

What would she say?

Would she be excited about the baby?

If so, did that mean she would also be excited about their possible future baby?

"Oh…..that is…..that is very good." Asherah said with a wry smile.

Asherah thought she was doing a good job, but Gaara thought she was giving him the fakest smile he had ever seen.

It kind of annoyed him.

"Are you not happy, that I, that _you_ have a nephew?" Gaara asked.

"No...that's not what I said." Asherah said, the glass facade of her feigned smile shattering as her lips fell to a frown.

Gaara looked at her and his eyes narrowed.

"Do you have something against children?" Gaara growled more than asked.

What was wrong with Asherah?

He had been elated to start a family with her, he had sat here waiting for her, and now she was acting so strange.

Sirens or not, all women wanted babies.

Right?

"Do you have something against me?" Asherah replied, narrowing her eyes, not in anger but concern.

"Gaara of Suna, what is the matter with you?" Asherah reached out to touch her husband.

To her surprise, he snatched the gold bracelet Odessa had brought them off of her wrist and threw it on the moistened ground, the gold glistening in the dark of the room.

"When we first married, you told me one day. One day, a child. That one day is today. You live with me now, we have fought together, we have loved together. I want a child." Gaara said, crossing his arms like he used to when he was younger.

Asherah raised her eyebrow but then she nodded. "Alright, then go out and get one. I will wait here for you to bring it back."

"What? You mean, adopt?" Gaara asked. " _Our child_ , Asherah. From our bodies, from our love! I want you to have a baby, _my baby, our baby."_

Asherah hissed like a huge snake and plunged back into the water, far away from Gaara, letting only her two sapphire eyes peek up at him, just like the night they first met.

Gaara didn't flinch, he just watched her.

And she watched him.

She watched him as she circled all the way around the pool to face him again, surfacing to her neck so she could speak.

"And why would I do a horrible thing like that?" She spat.

Asherah was the one person Gaara shared everything with, his deepest secrets, his soft side, his joy, his sorrows, even his body.

He had never been so connected to one person the way he was to his wife.

She clearly was not interested in this baby thing, and though he would respect her wishes, it still made him feel…..bad….

Gaara thought back to the conversation he had with his uncle about pain.

Yes, Asherah's refusal hurt his heart.

"Forget I said anything at all. I will not mention it anymore. It does not please you." The Kazekage said quietly as he turned and began to walk away.

Asherah loved the water so much, he would leave her to it for now.

"Draga mea…." Asherah called from the water.

Gaara should have kept going.

He was trained as a Shinobi to resist temptation, but he could not keep his back turned on his love when she called for him.

He faced her.

Asherah beckoned him over.

Gaara walked up and sat as Asherah rested her arms on the pool ledge. "Gaara of Suna, I am not an ordinary woman, motherhood is not something my kind does."

"Your mother is a siren." Gaara pointed out.

"And I was abandoned by both mother and father at birth as madness enveloped her and drove them apart." Asherah frowned, then she flashed her bright sapphire eyes up into Gaara's.

The blackness of the water only illuminated them more as she spoke. "Beauty looked down on the world and shed a tear for all the pain women suffer. The tear fell into the sea, covering a woman close to death, and there the first siren was born. Sirens are creatures made from rage and passion, who control others through the lustful manipulation of beauty. Sirens are creatures who are controlled by greed. Motherhood is not a popular theme among my kind. It is seen as a tragedy, that we have allowed someone to take a part of us we can never recover." Asherah finished, her eyes gentle as she gazed at her husband.

Gaara took Asherah's hand as she added, "Gaara of Suna, sirens are not meant to be mothers. It is not our nature, it is not our way."

"It is not your way to love either, but you love me." Gaara rasped as he held her hand thoughtfully.

Asherah blinked at him, surprised.

"You love your people and my people. You love your parents. You love Vassar, Mathis, Ossa, and Arda. Your heart is full of love, just like a mother's heart should be. I was born to be a vessel for a demon. A jinchuuriki's life is lonely, but that loneliness has vanished now that I have you. I was born to hate and kill, not love and create. But I chose that now, love and life. It doesn't matter what you were born, Asherah, it matters what you chose to be." Gaara finished, bringing his wife's elegant fingers to his lips and kissing them.

His smoky jade eyes smoldered into her sapphires as he spoke in a low, seductive whisper, "I think you'd be a wonderful mother. I promise I'll do my best to be the loving father I never had. You already pledged to me your living and your dying, your heart and your body…...We are two people who were never meant to love….Look at us now! Give me your womb, Asherah of Skorgan, my love, my wife. Give me a child."

That was as much of a beg, proposition, or request anyone, even the siren Queen, was going to get from the Kazekage.

Gaara was almost on his knees before her, his eyes hopeful as to what her answer would be.

Would she still say no?

Asherah was silent but breathing hard as Gaara finished, she was stirred greatly by his plea.

The Kazekage bravely leaned in to kiss his bride and she grabbed his face with her wet hands.

In the room, through their kiss, he heard her answer echo through the water and through her beautiful, melodious singing that was one but sounded like many.

" _Yes, Gaara of Suna. My answer is yes. I will give you a child."_

Gaara's heart raced with joy.

Their tongues fought for dominance before the red-head lifted her up out of the water only to jump back in with her in his arms.

As they crashed to the bottom, Asherah's hands worked on taking his coat off and slipping his trousers off as Gaara easily ripped her skirts off in the water, his fingers unfastening the closures on her diamond top.

Down there, under the water, Gaara began to touch and squeeze the curves he enjoyed most while her nails dug into his back.

Asherah's bliss ended when she noticed Gaara slowed because he was running out of air and she pulled him up to the surface.

Wet and determined, Gaara panted as his smoky jade orbs gazed at Asherah with a look of total lust.

Asherah's eyes widened when his hands grabbed her waist and he pulled her to straddle him there in the water, his manhood pressing against her thigh…..

Then at her entrance…..

"R-right…..nngh…..n-now?" Asherah gasped as he began to gently slide in.

Gaara growled as he felt his wife embrace him fully underneath the water. "Make me a father!" The Kazekage cried, beginning to thrust just where she liked it.

Their cries intermingled as their bodies became one.

The water splashed up against the side of the pool, little waves created from passion.

Asherah's cheeks pinkened as the Kazekage took her.

Gaara's fingers and mouth were everywhere, devouring her as he sought to possess her in every physical way possible.

Asherah mewled when she finally hit her climax, curling forward and clutching Gaara's shoulders, causing him to squeeze her bottom as he spilled himself into her.

Afterwards, they remained connected.

Asherah gave him a soft, gentle kiss as a cue.

Gaara stayed where he was.

Asherah tried to wriggle her lower half loose but that only made her whimper and Gaara groan.

"Draga mea, it is over, pull out. We're finished." Asherah said as she squirmed.

Gaara gave her a fierce stare of desire that shot all the way to her ovaries as he lifted her leg up and spun her, in the water, while he was still inside her, to clutch the edge of the pool.

Asherah's eyes widened as he leaned to whisper into her ear as he began to thrust into her from behind, "We're just getting started. Hold on tight~."

The Kazekage was ready for his baby.


	22. Chapter 22 - The Kazekage's Excitement

**Thanks for reading! I don't own any of Naruto! Please let me know if you enjoy!**

—

The following morning, Asherah woke to her husband's red hair tickling her lower belly as he pressed his ear against it gently.

"Draga mea?" Asherah cooed sleepily, blinking in the dim light of their curtained room.

Gaara looked up when he realized she was awake.

The Kazekage's smokey jade eyes looked at his wife, intent and hopeful. "How are you feeling?"

Asherah chuckled . "Gaara, I feel fine. And I will feel fine tomorrow, and the next day. You need to relax, draga mea. It will take a long time to even be detectable, it may even take a long time to happen."

Gaara frowned but his wife sat up and kissed his head. "It will when the time is right, so for now, let's just be happy and loving." Asherah said as she began to kiss his cheeks.

Gaara purred so deep it was almost a growl, daring to kiss and nip at her lips, his hands moving to hold his wife lovingly.

"Again?" Asherah said, raising an eyebrow as Gaara settled her onto her back and moved over top of her.

The Kazekage smirked as he made a hand sign so his sand would lock their door.

Gaara didn't have any meetings or urgent matters this morning, that meant he could turn his attention to other endeavours…

—-

So, time passed and business went as usual in Suna. Gaara saw to his Kazekage duties and did his best to be a loving, attentive husband to Asherah.

Though Asherah was not the queen of Suna, she did a lot for its people, making charitable contributions and volunteering much of her free time to benefit the sick and the poor.

Every day, Asherah learned more and more what it meant to be a good wife.

Gaara had tried to "relax" as Asherah had advised.

But he could not help his impatience.

The desire to be a parent, to be a father burned deeper and deeper each day.

Previously, he and Asherah had a very fulfilling sexual relationship, but now Gaara made love to her every chance he got.

Still, no child came.

He sat at his desk one afternoon, finishing the day's pile of paperwork, his eyes narrowed in frustration as their barrenness flashed through his mind.

Had his past as a jinchuriki negatively impacted his ability to become a father?

Or had Asherah lied to him?

What if she snuck the contraceptive pearls behind his back?

Gaara put a hand to his face and closed his eyes with a sigh.

He knew he was being unreasonable.

His hand was still on his face when Kankuro knocked on his door. "Hey, Gaara….are you alright?" The Kazekage's elder brother asked, seeing Gaara's hand on his face.

"Yes, I'm fine." Gaara said quickly, as though to brush him off. "What's the matter?"

"Well, I um…...I was just wondering if you and Asherah might like to come to dinner, um tomorrow. I invited Temari and Shikamaru. I….I met someone really special that I'd like you to meet." Kankuro said, unusually shy.

Gaara blinked, then a small smile formed on his face.

His brother had met someone.

Good for him!

Gaara and Temari were married and happy.

Kankuro deserved to be happy too.

"Of course, we will come." Gaara nodded.

"Awesome! I'll…..I'll let everyone know. We have reservations for the restaurant on the last street of the city, the fancy one? I guess we'll see you all there." Kankuro smiled.

Gaara nodded as he left.

The Kazekage finished his work and packed up to go home.

Tomorrow night would be interesting, he wondered what Kankuro's special new someone would be like?

—-

Gaara came home that night to a heated argument in his living room between Ossa, Asherah, and Vassar.

He walked in quietly so he wouldn't be seen at first, listening curiously:

"I have told you, shut it off! Shut the aqueduct off now! I will be fine with the water that is already here for a time! I can feel it! Somehow…..they have been able to use it!" Asherah thundered at Vassar.

"Majesty, they may have come by land, you know their connection to the sea is severed now. It cannot ever be repaired!" Vassar pleaded.

"I felt it too! It's a strange, sticky, sickly feeling, unmistakable!" Ossa seconded, agreeing with Asherah.

"Once connection to the sea is severed, that means connection to the wrath of beauty grows stronger. Songs are constrained…..the heart is poisoned. The dark heart of the sea could be used….Shut it off, now, that's an order!" Asherah glared at Vassar.

"So you wish it, so it shall be, Majesty." Vassar bowed and went quickly on his way.

"What's all this about?" Gaara rasped, stepping out of the shadowy doorway to reveal himself.

What was all this about?

"The aqueduct will be closed for a time. Monsters are coming, they may already be here, walking the streets. The men are all vulnerable. Tell every father, son, uncle, and brother in Suna to stay indoors at night until they are found. Indoors only!" Asherah shouted at Gaara, her eyes wide.

"Why? What monsters?" Gaara asked.

"Dark sirens." Asherah said, giving her husband a serious look, her sapphire eyes flashing.

—

Later, while they readied for bed, Asherah paced back and forth as Gaara watched her.

Asherah had gone on all evening about the grave danger approaching despite Gaara's futile attempts to calm her by detailing Suna's military might.

"Asherah, everyone is inside and every door is locked. There is nothing to be done now. Your husband wants to cuddle. We will tend to the dark sirens first thing in the morning, you have my word as Kazekage." Gaara purred, watching her hips sway as she paced.

Asherah stopped and ran her hands through her hair, coming over and laying down with a sigh.

Their usual cuddling was out, as soon as Asherah lay down, she was instantly asleep, mentally and physically exhausted from how upset she had become.

Gaara was just happy she was finally beside of him.

He lovingly scooped his wife up into his arms and nestled into her, when a single electric spark pushed him back.

The Kazekage recoiled slightly and blinked, confused.

That almost felt like chakra….

Gaara cautiously, slowly, went to wrap his arms around her again…..

And a second time, a red electric spark struck him.

Chakra.

Gaara's eyes narrowed.

He needed to find out where it was coming from.

Then, his eyes widened as realization dawned on him.

Asherah didn't have chakra…..

Both sparks had come when he laid his head down against her belly…

Gaara quicky splayed his palm over her lower abdomen and again felt that same electrical jolt of energy.

That wasn't Asherah!

That was someone else!

Tears gathered in Gaara's eyes before he gently used some of his own chakra, gathering it in his palm and feeding it into Asherah's still flat abdomen to soothe his unborn.

"There, there, little one." Gaara purred, his eyes soft and loving as he looked down at her belly. "Father's here."

Gaara sat there all night staring at his sleeping wife.

Dreams, fears, questions, and excitements all flooded his brain, making sleep impossible.

Dark sirens?

Who cared?

Here he had all of his soldiers, all of his people, even Naruto wasn't far.

Gaara was not afraid or even really concerned about these newcomers, if they were stupid enough to attack on his soil, then they would be stupid enough to die.

Gaara pulled out all of his books on pregnancy and childcare and began rereading them at a furious pace, anxious to learn all he could.

The first thing they were doing in the morning was taking Asherah to a doctor and getting her and the baby examined.

He had lost his mother during his own birth.

He would not let that happen to his child.


	23. Chapter 23 - Family Ties

**Thanks for reading! I don't own any of Naruto! Please let me know if you enjoy!**

— **-**

Gaara was overjoyed about his baby.

The Kazekage passed the long night reading while his siren love slept.

Gaara wanted to learn everything he could to become the best father and husband he could possibly be.

—-

In a room not far away, Gaara's brother Kankuro lay sleeping while his own siren love tossed and turned frantically.

Yes, Asherah was right.

Dark sirens had indeed come to Suna.

Well, one had, anyway.

The woman beside Kankuro writhed in bed, unable to sleep, consumed by thoughts of suffering and bloodlust.

The wrath of beauty was a cruel master and this siren, the dark one, as she was widely known, was slave to its call.

She sat up, looked over at Kankuro, and held her head in her hands.

It was no use.

Sleeping.

"Show me, then. Show me so I can rest." She whispered into the darkness, one hand on her chest, the other reaching out.

Water poured from the faucet in the bathroom, flowing in one straight line mid-air that pushed her swiftly out of bed, through the window, and out of the house.

Luckily, she had gone to bed dressed.

She stood in the street and listened.

Long, silky, raven-black hair, unnaturally alabaster skin, soft pink lips, miniature waist, with full breasts and a svelte bottom. Her facial features were symmetrical and delicate. On her hands, long, black extensions that were more talons than nails protruded from her fingers.

Two blazing, solid white eyes leered at the world from their sockets, seeing everything and nothing all at once.

No pupils, no irises, just pearlescent orbs that teased her victims with a glimpse of the void she would soon drag them into.

She smelled, very simply, like death and chocolate.

Sweet danger.

A beautiful but eerie harbinger of doom.

That was the nature of the dark one.

Dressed in tattered crepe rags of black and gray, a charmingly disheveled assortment of her skirt hems billowed against her legs as she stalked through Suna silently like a panther.

Most sirens preferred to adorn themselves with fine metals and jewels.

But dark sirens preferred something more precious and more costly…...

Human bones, human teeth.

Strung all over her wrists, her neck, her fingers, even her ankles, the dark one wore the remains of those she had devoured as proudly as Asherah wore her diamonds.

The menacing creature stopped as she came to the edge of the village.

"Show me! Bring me rest!" She hissed into the night, a scowl on her pale face.

As if on cue, a scream rang out in the night.

Those blank eyes turned blindly towards the scream and the dark one moved in a trance towards the house it came from, letting the wrath of beauty guide her.

The scream had come from a woman, in pain and fear, as her husband stood over her shouting, yelling at her to bring more water.

He was telling her as he did every night how worthless she was, the water bucket lying beside her now, her cheek bleeding from his assault.

Outside, the dark one gazed through the walls with her bright white eyes and exhaled slowly, the woman had the same color hair as she did.

The man was awful, a true dark heart.

"Oh, yes, this one is rotten, indeed~." She purred to herself.

The door swung open and the woman ran out towards the well, weeping.

The man stomped off towards the shower while that dark specter of death padded effortlessly into his home.

So calm, so confident.

This would be fun but quick.

She was very tired.

"Get in here, you bitch and lay down for me!" The man thundered from the shower, hearing movement in the living area.

The dark one opened her mouth, "I'm coming! I...I'll be right there!" She said, feigning fear, in a perfect mimic of his wife's voice.

She glowered evilly.

She had never heard the woman speak, but she did not need to.

This was the song of the dark one.

Justice through any means necessary, even deceit.

The man continued to swear and hurl abuses at his wife as the dark one glided down the hallway towards the bedroom, her steps sure and deadly as her skirts floated around her.

She put out the light, climbed in the bed and waited.

Her face twisted into an evil sneer, her lips curling into a malicious grin, showing her rows and rows of shark-like teeth.

In a very creepy way, she began to nibble and lick her arm silently. She had to calm herself until the right moment.

"Did you bring the water? Did you even hear what I asked, you stupid bitch?" The man snorted as he walked in the room.

All he could see was black hair sticking out from the covers.

He had no idea that a monster was waiting for him.

He began to walk towards the bed…

The dark one almost bit through her own flesh with glee.

So close!

 _Sooo close!_

The man reached out his hand to grab her shoulder, it was time for his wife to do the only thing she was good for.

"Now, give me what I want!" He cried as he flipped her over.

Terror.

The soul-crushing darkness of that moment made the dark one laugh as the man gasped dryly, his eyes going wide, color draining from his flesh as he looked into the face of certain death.

The dark one's smile was unnaturally big as her victim's desperate cry of pure mortal dread rang out.

But she was very tired tonight…..

So one cry was all he got and it was over.

Sickening munching sounds filled the room as the dark one licked her fingers and scattered enough silver to last a decade over the bones she left behind.

There were not many.

—-

When the man's wife returned and saw the scene in her ruined bedroom, she wept.

She wept tears of relief…...

She was finally free.

—

The dark one wandered back towards the center of Suna, back towards Kankuro.

She belched loudly into the night, the wrath of beauty was satisfied.

Now she could finally sleep.

As she prowled along, she opened up a tiny iron heart-shaped locket on her bone necklace, and looked at the pictures.

Her own, a blonde girl's, and Asherah's portraits looked back at her.

Her bloodstained lips smiled happily at Asherah as she spoke, her eyes soft and loving, "See you tomorrow, dear cousin~."

—-

As the light of a new day filled the room, Asherah stirred softly, beginning to awaken.

The Kazekage's watchful eyes glanced up from his book.

He had waited all night to tell his wife the wonderful news.

Asherah's sapphire eyes opened slowly. She purred as her husband quickly splayed his hand over her flat abdomen and leaned in close, his eyes wide.

"I'm pregnant!" Gaara almost shouted in his excitement.

Asherah blinked.

Gaara blushed.

That didn't come out right.

"I….I mean, you're pregnant." Gaara said, his joy overwhelming his embarrassment.

"What?" Asherah asked, still half-asleep.

"It's finally happened, Asherah! We're pregnant." Gaara said, the Kazekage's jade eyes shining brightly as he gazed down at his wife's still flat belly.

"Draga mea…." Asherah began.

"I felt it last night! All night! Chakra! Get dressed, we have to go to the hospital right away." Gaara rasped, his eyes still wide with excitement.

Asherah's head spun.

Was it true?

Oh dear…..

"Why do we need to go to the hospital?" Asherah asked sleepily as Gaara began to pick out some Suna robes for her to wear since she wasn't moving fast enough for him.

"To make sure everything is healthy. To see what you should and shouldn't be eating, be doing….." Gaara rambled on as he helped her sit up in bed.

Gaara saw his wife didn't look as enthused as he did and he knelt beside her.

"Do you feel alright? Are you nauseous?" He asked softly, putting a hand on her back.

The Kazekage's eyes were soft with concern.

He prepared to help her to the bathroom.

Whatever Asherah and their baby needed, he would do.

"No, I'm not nauseous." Asherah said, waving him away as she stretched.

Gaara took the opportunity and slipped the robes onto her, carrying himself and his wife towards the hospital with the help of his sand.

"The dark sirens…." Asherah yawned in his arms, finally starting to wake up.

"Later." Gaara said flatly, although his smile remained.

He was finally going to be a father!

—

Their wait at the hospital was short.

The Kazekage and anyone in his family was obviously seen as a priority.

They met with a kind, female doctor who confirmed Asherah's pregnancy and gave them a few pamphlets on what to do and what to avoid.

It was far too early for an ultrasound, but, at Gaara's special request, the doctor performed one anyway.

Gaara wanted to see his child.

When the small blip appeared on the screen, Asherah just stared at it, but Gaara's face lit up.

He was holding Asherah's hand and his fingers instantly tightened around her own.

"That's our baby." Gaara whispered to his wife excitedly.

Asherah's eyes were cold as she looked at the monitor. "It looks like a blob."

"I think its beautiful." Gaara said, giving Asherah a look of disapproval as the machine was wheeled away.

The couple gathered the pamphlets and sonogram pictures they had been given, and Gaara quickly took them both back to the Kage mansion.

He left his wife in her pool to rest and kissed her sweetly, going to see about these so-called dark sirens before they met Kankuro and Temari for dinner.

Once Gaara had left, Asherah swam to the far edge of the pool and reached over to a small table, opening the second drawer.

Reaching inside, she pulled out a small, iron, heart-shaped locket.

Flipping it open with one of her pale fingernails, she saw three pictures, one of which happened to be the woman Kankuro spent the night with, the dark one.

The siren queen spoke softly as she looked at the picture fondly. "Is it you, Elocin?"

—

Gaara sent an all female search party after the unseen enemy his wife claimed was now in Suna.

He had done so to humor Asherah, but now, as he prepared to go and collect his wife for dinner, he was working on something he thought was far more important.

Carefully, his fingers slid the thin paper into the frame…

Then Gaara placed the frame up on the wall directly across from his desk…..

Once it was in position, he stepped back and admired it with a smile.

"I can't wait to meet you." Gaara rasped.

In the frame laid the picture from Asherah's ultrasound.

It was Gaara's first picture of his child.


	24. Chapter 24 - The Dark, the Light

**Thanks for reading! Please let me know if you enjoy! I don't own any of Naruto!**

—

Later that evening, Gaara escorted his wife to dinner at Suna's finest restaurant.

Gaara, at Asherah and Temari's recommendation, had put on his three piece black suit and was trying not to tug at his collar.

Asherah was clad in her usual, signature diamond top and bottom, her stomach still flat, waist still intact.

Gaara was excited to meet Kankuro's date, but he would have much rather spent the evening quietly at home.

By the time they reached the restaurant, Temari, Shikamaru, and their son Shidaki were already seated at a table.

Greetings were exchanged and Asherah sat beside Temari, her mind far from dinner.

Even farther from the baby inside of her.

Her thoughts were still on the dark sirens.

Gaara eyed his wife, a bit irritated, as his toddler nephew crawled onto his lap and started to play with his tie.

Why wouldn't Asherah let it go?

They were finally pregnant and at such a nice family outing.

Gaara felt like the siren Queen's frown should have been replaced by a smile.

"There's Kankuro!" Temari said, breaking the silence, craning her neck as she watched their brother walking in with his arm around a woman's waist.

Along with his sister and her family, Gaara too, moved his head, waiting curiously for his first glimpse of his brother's date.

All four stared as they gazed upon the sinister creature Kankuro had his arms around.

Clad in layers of black and jewelry made from bones, ebony hair framed her pale face. Her white eyes blazed with amusement, and her pink lips parted to show her rows and rows of teeth.

Gaara was instantly protective of Asherah, going to grab his wife's hand….

….And he had the feeling you get when you miss a step in the dark and stumble, because her hand was not there.

Asherah had already gotten up from the table and was moving as swiftly as she could across the room, right towards that figure of pure malice.

In a flash, Gaara got up from the table and bounded towards Asherah, stopping midway to stare in surprise.

Asherah ran laughing into the woman's arms, and the evil-looking girl embraced her lovingly. They gave each other the fondest of hellos as they hugged like sisters for a long moment.

Kankuro blinked.

Gaara blinked.

Temari clutched Shidaki closer and whispered something to Shikamaru.

The two women seemed to be in a world of their own now as they walked towards the table together, the sand brothers following them and seating themselves beside them.

Asherah spoke, perhaps out of turn from excitement, before Kankuro, "Gaara of Suna, everyone," she nodded to Temari and her family, "This is my dear cousin, Elocin, the dark siren, well, _a_ dark siren."

Gaara's eyes widened. "The dark one?!" He asked Asherah with narrowed eyes. "Don't the dark sirens…?"

Should he arrest this…..woman?

"I travel alone." The woman with pure white eyes, Elocin, said nodding directly at Gaara.

"Until she met me." Kankuro said softly, picking up a strand of her jet-black hair to caress it gently.

Gaara recognized the tone of his brother's voice, it was the same tone he spoke to Asherah in, a loving tone.

"I had no idea it would be you! You of all! My sweet Elocin! So long it has been!" Asherah said jovially, all fear resolved, as she began to open up the menu.

As chatter commenced at the table, Gaara was pleased to see his wife so happy, but something still seemed off…..

"So, how did you two meet?" He asked Kankuro and Elocin quietly.

"In the market." Kankuro said, "she was trying to buy this necklace and…...I just…...wanted to help her."

Elocin laughed, a sickly sweet laugh that didn't match her sinister looks at all. "I thought a warrior that used poison would be much more….juicier~. But unfortunately, Kankuro has a good heart."

Gaara scowled at Elocin, looking hard at her blind eyes.

She was family to Asherah, and Kankuro was having a relationship with her, but there was something about her Gaara didn't like…...didn't trust…

"It is impolite to stare at others." Elocin told Gaara simply, white eyes staring at him blankly.

Gaara's cheeks pinkened with embarrassment.

Oops.

She could see after all?

"I...I apologize." Gaara said as Kankuro gave him a dirty look.

"Do not discount my eyes, Lord Gaara, I can see nothing and everything all at once." Elocin said with a sweet smile that curled into a big, toothy grin.

Gaara simply nodded and fell quiet.

The party of seven ordered and ate their meal.

There was plenty of conversation between the other six, but for most of dinner, Gaara was silent, contemplating.

He was watching while his wife and sister chatted with this grim-looking woman.

He was watching as his brother looked at Elocin with eyes full of admiration.

One question seemed to brand itself into Gaara's mind as dinner came to an end and the sand siblings bid each other goodnight as each went their separate ways.

He and Asherah traveled back to the Kage mansion.

The siren Queen was satisfied and happy with all of the day's events and she cuddled against Gaara as they rode along, carried by the sand.

When Gaara noticed she had fallen asleep in his arms, he delved deeper into his own thoughts.

Gaara accepted that Elocin was Asherah's cousin.

Gaara accepted she had a chance meeting with his brother and the two had fallen in love…..

Love?

If Gaara could fall in love, surely this foreboding creature was capable also…...

As he kept thinking, Gaara's old signature scowl crept onto his face.

What had brought one of these dreaded dark sirens to Suna in the first place?

As they reached home, Gaara placed Asherah in her pool to let her rest.

Instead of going to bed, he changed out of that horribly uncomfortable suit and slipped on his red coat and black trousers.

Gaara strapped on his gourd and left, going into the night with his eyes narrowed.

He needed to have a word with the "dark one".

—

It was almost like she was expecting him.

Those blank white eyes really could see everything.

Gaara found Elocin sitting on the roof of Kankuro's home, knees bent, skirts fanned out in a pattern reminiscent of a fish's tail.

Elocin did not stand as the Kazekage landed a few feet in front of her.

She just cracked that unsettling grin that showed off her pearly-white razor teeth.

"Why have you come to Suna?" Gaara asked bluntly.

He had never been one to sugar coat things and he saw no reason to start now.

"Tell me, Lord Gaara, do you lie to your people like you lie to me?" Elocin responded.

Gaara looked surprised. "I have not lied to you."

"You did not tell me about the child." Elocin said as she stretched. "Concealing something is lying, Lord Gaara. And that is the very reason why I have come."

Gaara moved his lips to ask, "How did-"

"-I know?" Elocin cut him off. "My eyes can see everything, Lord Gaara. I mentioned that earlier. You must be a slow learner." She laughed.

Gaara did not look amused.

"But I did not need to see to know. Sirens, women, we know. We just know." Elocin said thoughtfully. "I have come to help my cousin. This is not something our kind was created for, this is not something we are used to. I have come to watch over her. And I will protect her by any means necessary."

"There is no need. My wife and child are my world. I will give Asherah every comfort and every care that I possibly can." Gaara said, in all mortal seriousness.

Elocin laughed and fell onto her back. "I'm afraid that you don't understand what I mean. But that is alright, for now. Your brother is very cute and very sweet. Both of which I usually find dreadfully tiring, but with him it is amusing."

Elocin slowly rose to stand in front of Gaara, he never saw her legs move, it was like a string pulled her, slowly, fluidly, strangely.

She looked at him with her empty eyes, reaching out to hand Gaara a tiny black bell.

"When you need me, and you will, ring this, and I will come. I will come to help." The black haired woman nodded.

Gaara looked down at the bell for only a second.

When he glanced back up, he found himself alone on the rooftop.

A single whisper drifted through his ears, carried by a wet breeze,

 _I have the strength to do what is necessary, Lord Gaara. Whatever is necessary._

He blinked for a moment, noticing his clothes had somehow become sopping wet with saltwater.

Strange.

He needed to change and he needed to be with Asherah so he quickly began his trip home.

Gaara had read every book, every article, every magazine he had been able to find on pregnancy and birth.

But none on siren pregnancies.

What could Elocin do for Asherah that he couldn't?

How different was a siren pregnancy?

Gaaar scowled as a more important question prodded at his mind.

How dangerous was a siren pregnancy?


	25. Chapter 25 - A Hair Past Madness

**Thanks for reading! I don't own any of Naruto! Please comment/favorite/follow if you enjoy!**

—

Gaara returned home to Asherah, keeping the bell Elocin had given him in the pocket of his robes, putting it out of his mind.

His wife was one of the strongest women he had ever known, and Gaara knew some pretty strong women.

He was certain the bell would not be needed.

As he cuddled close to Asherah, he breathed in the scent of her hair and laid a hand over her flat belly, his face peaceful and relaxed as he drifted off to sleep.

As long as he and Asherah were together, there was nothing they couldn't overcome.

—-

Asherah understood that most couples waited to announce their pregnancy but Gaara happily broadcasted it to anyone and anywhere he could.

Suna rejoiced for their beloved Kazekage and almost daily, Gaara and Asherah received gifts from the people.

Naruto called to congratulate the couple as soon as he heard, offering his friend some advice and telling him to call if he needed anything.

Skorgan was happy to hear the news as well, although Talgryn just shrugged and a worried look crossed Odessa's face as she heard the information.

"Be safe, my daughter….." The Siren of the Black Sea said to herself as the messenger left.

"What?" Talgryn asked from his chair across the room while he worked on some papers.

"I am afraid for our child, Talgryn. It was difficult for me when she was born. What if she has the same trouble?" Odessa asked, her dark eyes moving to her lover.

"Then that boy of hers will have to be a man and do what is needed. Just like I did." Talgryn snorted.

Odessa shot him such an ominous glare, the mighty king blinked and gave his love a tense smile.

"Maybe not exactly as I did, but, he'll have to find a way." Talgryn quickly said, forgetting it had not been long ago that Odessa had finally forgiven his brutal sins of the past, watching her finger the scar across her abdomen he had given her.

"Gaara of Suna loves our child, mind, body, and soul. I am sure that is enough." Odessa said, more to herself since Talgryn turned back to his work with a grunt.

She hoped her words were true.

—-

Days turned to weeks and Asherah's pregnancy began to progress.

Gaara had educated himself as much as he could and he felt like he was prepared for anything.

If Asherah was sick, Gaara knew the nausea remedies.

If Asherah was moody, Gaara knew he needed to give her space.

If Asherah was aching, Gaara knew the appropriate massage techniques to use.

But, to Gaara's slight disappointment, Asherah showed no symptoms.

Not that he wanted his wife to be uncomfortable, but he felt like them working through the pregnancy as a team would make the baby seem more real.

There were some days everything was so normal, it seemed Asherah almost forgot about the baby.

That was another thing.

It almost irritated Gaara that his wife never mentioned the baby unless he brought it up.

Then, if he did, she would try to stop talking about it as quickly as possible.

All of the other women in Suna and in Gaara's life had chattered on about their pregnancies and their babies almost constantly.

Even when they made love, if Gaara even touched her still flat abdomen, he found that his wife promptly pushed his hand away.

What was wrong with Asherah?

Gaara was overjoyed and ready to be a father, but he was worried about the mother of his child.

—

Once Asherah hit her fourth month, almost overnight, her belly began to round ever so slightly.

That morning, when Asherah sat up the curve was more pronounced and the Kazekage's eyes lit up.

He knelt in front of his wife and cradled her small bump like it was made of glass.

"You're starting to show." Gaara rasped, a small, proud smile on his face.

"Not if you don't really look." Asherah replied, casting her eyes down and covering her abdomen with the sheet.

Gaara snapped the sheet off and cupped her tummy, looking into her eyes. "Why are you ashamed of our baby?" He asked, softly but intent.

"I'm not ashamed of our baby, I'm just, I'm…...just….." Asherah said slowly as tears welled in her eyes, turning her head away from Gaara as she put a hand to her face.

Gaara frowned.

He hated to see Asherah weep.

"Asherah of Skorgan." Gaara said as he slowly crawled onto the bed and gathered his sobbing wife into his arms, kissing her shoulders gently. "I'm you husband. There's nothing you can't tell me, can't share with me. All I want to do is support you, especially now. You two are my world." Gaara purred in her ear, one hand still on her belly.

Asherah's sobs eased but she stayed silent, turning to cuddle into Gaara.

Gaara kissed his wife's head as he thought…

Maybe Asherah was falling into a depression, Gaara had read that could happen after the baby came but also before.

As Asherah sighed and melted into him, he used his free hand to stroke her hair.

He had noticed that Asherah's long hair never grew, but, as he paid it extra attention now, it seemed quite longer and thicker than it normally was, stronger.

Gaara smiled.

He supposed his wife was finally starting to show in more ways than just her belly.

—-

As Asherah hit the midway mark in her second trimester, Gaara was nearly at his wit's end.

Her belly grew every day but she became more and more withdrawn.

She was not her usual cheery, good-natured, humorous self.

She did not want to interact with anyone, barely wanting to speak.

Her hair had continued to grow, now nearly reaching her feet.

Gaara felt as though he was always fighting to see her.

Her swims in the ocean had greatly increased.

When they were together, she was usually irritated, as if his talking to her was an annoyance.

Physically, she was fine and everything was healthy.

No sickness, no aches, no pains.

Gaara saw to all of her diet, giving each meal the utmost thought and although she was acting the way she was, he was loving and kind with his wife.

She would often break down into miserable sobs and apologize to Gaara, telling him that she couldn't control herself.

Gaara was always stoic but comforting, holding her and whispering to her.

—

One night though, it came to a head.

They were in the room with Asherah's pool and an argument started.

A silly argument.

Asherah was irritable, Gaara was calm, the next he knew, she just started screaming.

Horrible, awful, gut-wrenching screams.

Not screams of pain but anguish.

Screams of pure madness.

He did not see his wife anymore, the spark in her sapphire eyes was gone.

The Kazekage tried various approaches but nothing worked.

He thought his wife's throat would surely rip and bleed the way she cried, hands fisted in her hair, tears pouring from her eyes.

Gaara knew nothing else to do.

He rang Elocin's bell.

It seemed it was only a moment before a sickly sweet voice came from behind him. "Oh, dear."

He turned and saw his cousin-in-law regarding his screaming wife, looking her over.

Elocin sucked in a breath and began to hum loudly, a soothing, relaxing melody.

Asherah's screams died to whimpers that died to silence and the dark one stretched out her hand, a ribbon of water flowing from the pool to lift Asherah up and over, placing her in the sea.

Asherah seemed to fall asleep the instant Elocin stopped humming, as if anesthesia were just administered, her body floating vertically so the top of her head was over the water.

Elocin turned to Gaara in the silence and smiled. "I told you would need me sooner than you thought."

"What's wrong with her?" Gaara demanded.

"I am afraid it is not the body I was referring to, but the mind. It is the mind of the siren not suited for this." Elocin explained, grinning sinisterly as she pulled a long, sharp, ancient knife from her skirt pocket. "The babe causes the hair to grow from the head and madness to grow in the brain, if it is unchecked."

The knife was made of pure silver and inlaid with pearls and rubies along the handle.

Gaara's eyes widened. "W-what are you going to do?! What are you doing? I will not let you harm her or my child!" He said, his sand starting to twirl at his feet dangerously.

"I am doing what needs to be done, Lord Gaara! That is what you called me for, that is why I have come! Stand back! You may not have the heart I prefer to consume, but I do enjoy snacks!" Elocin said, holding the knife towards Gaara with narrowed white eyes.

Gaara was not threatened.

He felt confident he could handle her, but if he lost Asherah, his life would be empty.

Was this creature, this woman, going to help his wife or hurt her?

What option did he have but to see?

Clearly, all he could do for her was not working.

Elocin grinned in a disturbing way, her mouth unnaturally wide and stepped up to the pool, gathering and lifting Asherah's long, wet hair out of the water.

"My Queen, we heard an awful commotion, is everything al….?" Arda asked as her and Ossa stepped into the pool room.

Both siren's mouths dropped and eyes went wide as Elocin raised Asherah's long hair and took the knife, cutting the new growth and several inches above its original length in one smooth swing.

Ossa gasped as if Elocin had just cut off the queen's head.

Arda vomited in disgust.

It was a terrible thing for a siren to lose hair, any hair, especially in such a violent way.

Gaara's eyes were still narrowed, ready to attack, but he blinked as Elocin pocketed the knife and walked away, letting Asherah rest in the pool.

That was it?

"It is done, Lord Gaara." Elocin grinned wickedly, pleased with the displeasure she caused the two in the background.

"What do you mean, it is done?" Gaara asked incredulously.

"There is a connection between a siren and every part of our body. If the mind cannot function, the hair must be cut. There are not many who understand it, but true sirens like myself know it well." Elocin said proudly.

"When she wakes, she will be her normal self. Her body is doing well, see to it that continues." The dark one warned Gaara, before she disappeared into the night.

Ossa cleaned up Arda's mess and the two quickly retired, leaving Gaara with his wife once he assured them there was nothing they could do.

In the morning, Gaara woke to a lovely sound.

It was Asherah singing.

Her beautiful voice flowed up from the pool and into their room.

Gaara sat up in bed, smiling.

He hadn't heard her sing in months and he had missed her song so much.

He peered in the room with the saltwater pool after he dressed for the day and a grin lit up his face.

Yes, what Elocin had done must have worked.

His wife's mind was repaired, her heart repositioned.

Asherah sat in the pool, cradling her belly as she looked down at it lovingly.

Her song was about Gaara and she was singing it to their baby.

Gaara couldn't wait to talk to her about the nursery later in the afternoon.

He was looking forward to enjoying the rest of her pregnancy together, as a family.


	26. Chapter 26 - The Kazekage's Insomnia

**Thanks for reading! I don't own any of Naruto! Please let me know if you enjoy!**

—

Gaara's pulse pounded in his ears as he felt his wife writhe in his arms.

The Kazekage's smokey jade eyes darted to her as he ran down the hall.

"Breathe." Gaara rasped, his heart clenching in sympathy as Asherah moaned and dug her nails into Gaara's shoulders.

Gaara's coat was slick with the blood that poured from between her legs as he carried her, frantically running from room to room.

Something was going badly wrong but Gaara did not know what, and although he felt like he had been running forever, every place they went was desolate.

No one was there.

There was no help.

Asherah began to weep miserably and Gaara felt a new warm wave of blood travel down his coat and onto his trousers, soaking through to his legs before her eyes rolled back and she fell limp against her husband.

"No!" Gaara gasped, jade eyes going wide.

He felt her body grow cold in his arms, her skin start to crack and fall away.

No warmth, no movement from her belly.

He was losing them both.

"Isn't there anyone who can help us?!" He screamed into the emptiness of the room they just entered.

—

"...Help us?!"

"...Help us?!"

"... **HELP US?** "

Those words echoed through Gaara's mind as he gasped and sat up, panting for breath, sweat pouring down his face as his heart raced.

Gaara looked around and saw Asherah peacefully asleep beside him, one hand on her swollen belly.

Gaara's breathing began to slow and he swallowed, relaxing his jaw.

It was alright.

it was alright, he had just had the nightmare again.

Slowly, quietly, Gaara laid down again with a long, low sigh.

Reaching out, he gently touched his sleeping wife's baby bump.

His eyes were soft and inquisitive as he traced the mound.

Many nights passed and he laid awake just looking at her, marveling at her.

Asherah was well into her eighth month and Gaara was amazed by all of the changes in her body.

Not to mention how well she was handling them.

She thought she looked hideous, a shell of her former self, but Gaara had never been so attracted to her.

So enraptured with her.

His face fell when his mind returned to his dream.

Gaara couldn't wait to meet his baby, but he was terrified of what was to come.

Gaara had lost his own mother at his birth.

Would the same happen to his child?

Over the last several weeks, Gaara's paranoia had grown along with Asherah's abdomen.

Then the nightmares had started.

The Kazekage took them as an omen.

He immediately interviewed and hired a dozen doctors, midwives, and nurses to not only attend the birth but to live in the Kage mansion.

That insured there would always be someone there.

Just in case.

He brooded over every bite and sip Asherah took, wanting proof that her food and water were of the purest quality and the perfect amount.

Once she had caught him counting the chocolate chips in a cookie she was going to eat.

Gaara had promptly informed her that too much chocolate increased the risk of gestational diabetes.

So obviously he must count each one to make sure it was safe!

Just in case.

Her clothing had to be made from 100% pure silk or 100% organic cotton, because toxic chemicals could be absorbed through the skin and into the womb.

Obviously all clothing and jewelry that was not organic contained deadly levels of horrible things, so best to just wear natural fibers.

Just in case.

Although these preparations irritated Asherah, they did not make Gaara's nightmares stop.

And that troubled Gaara even more.

The Kazekage frowned and cuddled up to his wife.

What else was it he needed to do?

Was there anything he could do?

—-

By morning, Gaara had snuggled between her breasts, his hands gently holding her belly.

Asherah woke late in the morning and smiled down at him, stroking his hair slowly until she saw his jade orbs blink open.

Smokey eyes flickered up to meet sapphire ones as Asherah felt Gaara press his other hand against her belly gently.

"Good morning, cuddle-Kage." Asherah purred, bending her neck to kiss his forehead.

"Good morning, your majesty." Gaara teased, nuzzling further into her cleavage.

Asherah laughed.

Gaara tried to smile but his face had his usual stoic seriousness to it as he gently pressed his palms against her tummy, "How do you feel this morning?"

Asherah stretched languidly, Gaara's eyes lighting up as he felt a strong kick or punch pressing against his hand. "I feel fine, I'm just a little achy.

Gaara sat up in bed, his eyes wide. "Achy? Where?"

He pushed the blanket off and began to gently feel all over her abdomen and her back. "Does it feel like pressure? When did it start? Is it getting worse? Do you fe-"

"Draga mea." Asherah said loudly and firmly, cutting him off.

Gaara's eyes were wide as he fell silent and looked at her.

"I'm fine." Asherah said, reaching out and stroking his cheek.

"I promise….I'm fine." Asherah reassured her worried husband with a soft smile.

Gaara moved his lips to kiss her fingers gently.

"I love you." Asherah said simply, sweetly.

Gaara's stoic heart melted as his wife gave him a bright smile. She had a way of looking so warm and inviting now, her sapphire eyes shone even brighter with the promise of the new life they had created together.

Gaara felt like she was smiling at him from her soul.

"I love you both very much." The Kazekage said, nuzzling into her neck as she wrapped her arms around his.

Gaara was reluctant to leave her that morning.

And the next.

And the next.

Even though he was only a few stories above her pool, and he had his eyeball of sand watching her every move, he wanted to be beside her at all times.

—

When the team of medical care providers Gaara had hired informed the couple the baby could come anytime, Gaara was so excited and so nervous he could burst.

He never let Asherah out of his site.

When he did paperwork, he brought it down to the room with her pool in it.

When he had to be in his office, he used his sand to make a chair or a bed for her to lie on.

When she had to use the bathroom, she opened the door to find him waiting on her.

Gaara didn't sleep much during the nights, and when he did he either woke up wide awake several times through the night, checking over his wife, or he was tormented by that same nightmare…..

With each passing day, Gaara's excitement grew and unfortunately, so did his insomnia.

Days passed with no rest, and he became almost as exhausted as Asherah.

He eventually got so exhausted that early one morning, just as the sun was rising, he nearly collapsed beside of her, his arms crumpled over his chest as he finally slept for the first time in two days.

Asherah woke that morning with a strange feeling in her back and belly, but gave her sleeping husband a wry smile and gently covered him with the blankets, kissing his head.

She noticed the sensation seemed to worsen when she stood but she shrugged it off and went to take a swim in her pool.

If it turned out to be anything, she would wake Gaara, but for now, he needed rest.

The baby wasn't even here yet and he was already worn out.

As Asherah went to slip into the pool, she was caught off guard by a stinging bolt of pain that shot right up her spine and she bit her lip to stay quiet.

If this continued, Gaara would have to wake soon.


	27. Chapter 27 - Pride

**Thanks for reading! I don't own any of Naruto! Please let me know if you enjoy!**

—

What was that?

Was it a squeak?

A groan?

In Gaara's foggy brain, the Kazekage forced his bleary eyes to focus.

He had finally fallen asleep but he had just heard a noise that woke him.

Gaara blinked.

A noise.

A cry.

A CRY?!

Gaara's jade orbs shot wide open and he felt his heart pound as he looked across the wide room and saw Asherah lying in the pool.

Something wasn't right.

She wasn't singing and dancing, she was sitting perfectly still in the water with her head laid against the rim, eyes closed.

Was it…?

Gaara struggled to his feet and made his way over to her, his body heavy like lead.

Gaara carefully knelt down beside her and stroked her face gently.

Her eyes didn't open but a soft, pained sigh escaped her lips.

Gaara's eyes narrowed.

It was.

The redhead quickly stripped down to his trousers and climbed in the water beside of his wife.

He pressed his chest to her back and took one of her hands in his when she leaned back and laid against him, eyes still closed.

Gaara gently pushed on her belly. His eyes narrowed to slits in concern when he felt how hard it was, and after studying her face a second, he saw her cheeks flushing almost white as she bit down on her lip.

"I'm your husband, Asherah of Skorgan. I'm your mate, body and soul. Don't hide your pain from me." Gaara said stoically but gently as he took both of Asherah's hands in his.

The groan that came from his wife upon hearing those words made Gaara want to flinch.

She still hadn't opened her eyes.

That bothered Gaara for some reason.

Was it so bad that she didn't want to see?

Or maybe that made it easier to focus?

Gaara let her squeeze his hand until the pain ebbed away and then he moved to let her go and climb out of the pool.

Asherah immediately grabbed him by the shoulders and her eyes snapped open.

"Where are you going?" The Siren Queen asked.

"I'm going to get a doctor. I'll be back in a moment, don't worry." Gaara reassured her, kissing her cheek.

Gaara felt his heart lurch as Asherah curled forward over her belly and laid her head against her husband's chest, her breathing became labored as she gasped against his skin, "nngh…not now, p-please, don't let me go. Don't let me go, Gaara!"

Her voice sounded different and it scared Gaara.

Instinctively, his hand shot out and he began to knead his wife's back as she moaned, still clutching him, until the spasm was over and she gasped for breath.

"I don't….I don't want all those people in here. I just want you. Only you…..please…" Asherah sighed, pleading with Gaara as she lay back in the water.

Gaara had the same stoic scowl that he wore into battle.

In fact, he was in a battle now.

This was one of the hardest battles he and Asherah would face as husband and wife.

He had planned for the entire medical staff to be in the room, supervising the delivery, but, if they made Asherah too uncomfortable, he knew it was possible they would be more of a hindrance than a help.

The Kazekage somehow managed to think of a compromise.

"Only me." Gaara nodded as Asherah smiled.

"But….."

Asherah's smile faded.

"They'll be in the next room and should anything go wrong, they will be permitted to intervene." Gaara said, barely finishing as Asherah reached for his hands again.

His wife's pained cry told him that she agreed to those terms.

On the outside, Gaara was stoic and calm, not letting any trace of emotion show to his wife besides calmness and focus.

On the inside he wanted to cry out with her.

Gaara's baby was on the way!

—-

Gaara used his sand to summon one of his subordinates and assemble the medical team.

He was much too busy to do it himself.

Over the last few months, Gaara had read every book on childbirth he could find.

All the books in the world couldn't possibly have prepared him.

The Kazekage was learning that labor really was like a battle.

As the hours passed, they stayed in the pool, turning this way and that, as Gaara tried to help his wife into a comfortable position.

Asherah's whimpers turned into groans, her moans and cries getting deeper, guttural.

Gaara's eyes stayed narrowed, scowling as his wife's pain increased.

He knew that was good and it meant things were moving smoothly, but he didn't want Asherah to suffer.

She clung to Gaara, who held her in his arms firmly but lovingly, keeping her safe and warm while she labored.

Gaara was with her completely the entire time, body and mind.

The Kazekage was a very attentive, supportive labor partner for his love.

He nuzzled into her neck, he gave her massages anywhere he could, he urged her on whispering strong words of praise and encouragement into her ear.

He wasn't sure if she could really hear him or not, but he was certain that even if it was on a different level, she understood.

However, Gaara had not understood exactly what level Asherah was committed to of "only him" until he found himself between his wife's legs in the water when she started pushing.

"AAAAAAGGGGHHH!"

"That's it, do what your body tells you."

Gaara was sympathetically massaging her inner thigh, keeping his eyes on her birth canal while he coached her through each pain.

He knew she didn't need him to tell her what to do, things were happening naturally with or without Gaara's guidance.

But Asherah loved Gaara and his voice gave her strength, so he kept cooing to her in his gravelly tone.

Gaara had never felt truly sorry for the murders he had committed until now.

As he watched his wife struggle to birth their child, he understood just how precious life really was.

Shaking him out of his thoughts, Gaara's eyes widened and he fell silent when something dark began to emerge and press against his hand.

Asherah panted and cracked her sapphire orbs open, hearing Gaara's soothing murmurs stop. "Unnngggh….w-what's wrong….nngh?" She gasped.

Gaara was almost in a state of shock.

He knew what was going to happen, what was happening, but the reality of it hit him hard when he held the cusp of his firstborn's head in his palms, tufts of bright red hair waving against his fingers under the water.

"I-it's…...it's the head. It's the head! Push! Push hard, it's coming!" Gaara almost shouted at Asherah.

Asherah leaned forward and keened as she pushed with all of her remaining strength.

"AAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHH!"

Gaara was both excited and terrified, but it was here now and it was happening.

Maybe there was another way he could help.

As Asherah pushed, Gaara used his palms and sent a bolt of his chakra through his hands, channeling it through his child to get to Asherah, it helped her find that last bit of strength she needed and in one swift motion it was over.

Asherah's loud cry ended as a smaller one was heard.

Gaara's life restarted.

The Kazekage's eyes were as wide as saucers as he raised his newborn in his hands up out of the water.

"D-draga mea?" Asherah gasped, a hand laid on her chest as her heart pounded.

For just a moment, Gaara was too overcome to speak.

He had waited what felt like forever for this moment and he cherished it, savored it.

The overwhelming pride, the crushing grip of mortal fear, the complete, unyielding unconditional love he felt for the small, perfect, new life squirming and whimpering in his arms took a moment for him to process.

Jade eyes scanned over his firstborn lovingly, inspecting every inch of the new baby.

The child was beautiful with soft, silky skin, chubby, chibi-like cheeks, deep green eyes and a full head of Gaara-esque red hair.

Beautiful, but…...

One thing about his newborn made his heart lurch.

He had not been expecting this.

Why? He did not know.

He should have been prepared, but he was not, not in the least.

It made him desperately happy he had been given such a precious gift, but even as Kazekage, did he have what it took to protect something so valuable?

Gaara instantly knew he would give his life in an instant for this...but would that be enough?

Carefully, he passed the little one to Asherah, the siren queen's tired, sapphire eyes lighting up with pride and love as she cooed over her baby.

Gaara wanted to say something meaningful in such a powerful moment, to tell Asherah how proud he was, to tell her how much she and the baby meant to him, but he was so caught off guard he could only manage to choke out hoarsely to his wife:

"G-girl…..it's a girl."

Gaara of Suna had a daughter.


	28. Chapter 28 - I'll Always Protect You

**Thanks for reading! Please let me know if you enjoy! I don't own any of Naruto!**

— **-**

"It's a girl."

The Kazekage repeated with wide eyes as the medical staff knocked and entered with Asherah's permission once the baby was heard crying.

"It's a girl."

Gaara repeated while he held Asherah's hand as they delivered the afterbirth and helped mother and baby clean up.

"It's a girl."

Gaara repeated, eyes still wide that evening as he sat beside Asherah while she nursed their new infant daughter.

Asherah looked over tiredly at her husband. "Yes, draga mea, it is a girl. You have mentioned that several times now."

Gaara didn't respond, he just gazed at the baby, wide-eyed at her.

That was really his baby.

His own.

From her deep green eyes to her flame red hair, Gaara saw himself in every piece of her.

And his wife.

His beautiful wife that loved him enough to give up her home and live in the desert with him and give him a family…

Gaara's eyes flickered up to Asherah, full of pride and admiration.

Once the baby was happily fed, he saw Asherah's sapphire orbs start to close.

Her body needed rest.

"The water…." She whispered as she fell into a deep sleep, exhausted from the day.

Gaara quickly took his baby from her arms before she drifted off, laid the little girl on the bed, and picked Asherah up, placing his wife into her pool.

The sea would help her now more than any bed could.

While Asherah slumbered deep in the healing waters piped in from Skorgan, Gaara was left to hold his sleeping newborn alone.

Swaddled in a traditional Sunese cloth, the baby slept with a pout on her lips, her chubby cheeks almost smushed together by her wrappings.

Gaara looked down at her with soft but intent eyes.

Careful not to wake her, he stroked the baby's cheek with the pad of his finger.

He wanted his baby to know how wanted she was, how happy he was she had finally arrived.

"I'll always be here for you." He whispered to the baby in his low, gravelly voice, ever so quietly.

The baby shifted in his arms and the Kazekage was afraid he had woken her….

…..But she settled down comfortably.

His confidence renewed, Gaara decided to go on.

"I'll always be proud of you for who you are. I'll always believe in you."

The baby shifted again.

Gaara now stroked the feathery tufts of red hair that stuck out from the cloth.

"I'm your father."

The baby stopped.

"I'll always love you."

The Kazekage whispered, daring to remove his finger and lean down, kissing the baby's tiny forehead.

When he pulled away, his eyes widened again as a very small smile graced his daughter's very small lips.

Was there a way that she understood somehow?

Gaara clutched his baby to his chest.

He knew how much the love of a parent meant.

He knew how much the loss of a parent meant.

Had he been able to sense his mother's love before she passed away?

Had he been able to sense her loss when she did?

Gaara looked down at his daughter again.

He felt a frown fall over his face.

She didn't even have a name yet.

That was surely something he would need to address with his wife in the morning.

Gaara made a sign with his free hand and built himself a stiff, yet comfortable nest of sand that would allow him to sit upright in and sleep.

A sand pillow formed behind his head, while walls of sand to hold his arms in place rose beside of where he was sitting on the bed.

The baby slept silently in Gaara's arms, close to his chest, she could hear his pulse.

The baby let out a quiet coo, a sound that made Gaara gasp as it went straight to his heart.

Secure in his nest of sand, Gaara eventually slept holding his baby.

But it took many hours of gazing in amazement at her for that to happen.

Gaara had made many promises to his daughter that night, but only one to himself.

He would be the best father the Shinobi world had ever known.

And the Kazekage always kept his word.


	29. Chapter 29 - Seraphina

**Thanks for reading! I don't own any of Naruto! Please let me know if you enjoy!**

—

The following day, while Gaara's subordinates were out announcing the birth, Asherah and Gaara sat holding their little girl, choosing a name for her.

"I like Serayoko." Gaara rasped, admiring the baby's red hair.

Asherah scowled. "That is very Sunese."

Gaara scowled back. "She is Sunese."

"I like Alphina." Asherah suggested, stroking the baby's tiny nose.

"That sounds very Skorganian." Gaara frowned.

"She is Skorganian." Asherah replied very seriously. "We will have to visit soon."

"When you're both stronger." Gaara agreed.

A silence fell between husband and wife as they gazed down at their offspring.

Asherah thought to herself….was Gaara going to try to cut out half of his daughter's heritage?

Would her Gaara really do that?

Family was important to him, surely not.

Gaara was also thinking….

Asherah was the sole heir to the throne of Skorgan and the heart of the sea….if his daughter took over one or both of those one day, she could never be Suna's leader as well….

What would that mean?

Gaara blinked.

The baby cooed at her parents.

No.

This child was the product of two worlds.

Gaara's eyes narrowed.

She was an equal part of both Skorgan and Suna.

"Seraphina." Gaara spoke in his low, commanding Kazekage tone.

"What?" Asherah asked.

"Her name is Seraphina. The combination of both our wishes for her, because she's a combination of both of our worlds." Gaara stated firmly.

A bright smile lit up Asherah's face. "That's a beautiful name for a siren."

Gaara gave his wife a look.

"Or a kunoichi." Asherah replied, tickling Seraphina's tummy.

Gaara smiled as the baby laughed.

Then he frowned.

Siren?

Kunoichi?

Two worlds…..

One day, little Seraphina would have to take her place in both.

But what would her place be?

—-

Once word spread of Seraphina's arrival, guests from all the Shinobi nations came to see the Kazekage's firstborn child.

The village of Sunagakure rejoiced and soon the Kage mansion overflowed with cards from well-wishers and gifts for the new baby.

Naruto and Hinata were some of the first visitors, the blonde Hokage overjoyed for his friends.

All the while, Gaara was very watchful as to who was holding the baby, who was touching the baby, and when she had been fed and changed.

He was a very attentive, protective father.

If Gaara didn't like the way someone was holding Seraphina, he had no problem telling them.

Naruto was not excluded from that, blinking when Gaara adjusted his arm after the Kazekage determined the Hokage was holding Seraphina's head just a little too tight for his liking.

Naruto just smiled and did as Gaara told him.

Naruto had two children and his grip was not too tight, but he remembered what it was like to be a new father, especially for the first time.

Naruto was proud of Gaara for how far he had come.

Even once the gush of visitors ebbed, the Kazekage was very involved in caring for his infant and his wife.

Every chance he got during the day, he checked on Asherah to make sure she was alright, and did everything he could to speed her healing and recovery.

He was always happy to change the baby, bathe her, help Asherah with feeding her, put her down for naps.

But a new baby brought changes.

Asherah seemed to have lost some of her confidence.

Why?

Gaara didn't know, but she refused her old outfits, choosing now to clothe herself in damask, loose robes.

Gaara didn't think they suited her.

The Kazekage looked forward to his evening cuddles since their first night together, but since the baby came, Asherah rolled away from him, curling onto her side.

It wasn't that he wanted sex, of course he wouldn't mind it, but he knew Asherah was healing and adjusting.

He just wanted to love her and to feel loved.

To lay with Asherah and hold her tight, to listen to her heartbeat, to look into her eyes.

Asherah was the only one with which he had ever shared contact like that.

He missed it dearly.

He had even offered to give her massages or to help her care for herself and she had vehemently refused.

It was like Asherah, who was normally very open and one of the least modest people Gaara had ever known, wanted to hide herself away now.

One evening, while tiny Seraphina lay sleeping, Gaara crawled into bed beside his wife and kissed her shoulder.

Instantly, Asherah hid her face and rolled away from him.

Gaara scowled.

Enough was enough.

"Asherah." Gaara's voice cut through the silence.

"Yes?" She whispered back.

Gaara asked a simple question. "Why?"

Tears welled in Asherah's eyes. Beauty was everything to a siren. A creature created from a single tear from Beauty herself was expected to always be beautiful, flawless, perfect.

She didn't want Gaara to know, didn't want Gaara to see….

Gaara's child had damaged Asherah's body in her eyes, changed it, now she was…..

Was…

She told Gaara the truth in one single breath, through clenched teeth.

"Because I'm not beautiful anymore."

That made Gaara's jade eyes widen in disbelief and anger.

Gaara sat bolt upright and climbed over top of her, pulling the sheets away quickly, too quickly for her to stop him, ripping her loose nightdress off, he looked at her naked frame on the bed.

Asherah had not let Gaara see her body since Seraphina was born.

And her body was different….

…...But that made Gaara appreciate it more.

Gaara's smokey jade eyes were soft, loving, and proud as they scanned over her form.

Gaara felt she had become even more beautiful, more womanly. Places that were bony before were now made fleshy, subtle curves now pronounced, more enticing, soft, silvery lines that gently framed her belly and hips made Gaara want to reach out and touch…

So he did.

Taking his hands, he gently stroked over those silvery lines, his jade eyes lighting up as his gaze met her sapphire orbs. "This is where my child came from. You risked your life for us. Because you love me and you love her."

Asherah couldn't stop the tears that pooled in her eyes as she burned under the intensity of her husband's gaze.

No other would ever love her as completely as Gaara did.

Gaara slid his hands over his wife and leaned down, inches from her face, he closed his eyes and bent in to kiss her as he whispered, "Don't ever tell me you're not beautiful."

Asherah kissed him back forcefully, unable to control the tears that poured down her cheeks.

Gaara purred deep in his chest, wrapping his arms around his wife possessively, nipping at her lips with his teeth as the two began what ended up being a long, loving night.

A few hours before dawn, they lay cuddled up, intertwined so tightly each other's heartbeats echoed in their ears.

Both were happy, both were in love.

The two parents managed to get an entire hour and a half of sleep before Seraphina woke, crying and hungry.

With an exhausted but happy sigh, Gaara got up and brought the baby to Asherah, who sat up in bed to feed her.

As Seraphina snuffled and ate happily, Asherah and Gaara exchanged a glance.

Together, they created this new life, and together, they would raise this child to be a part of both the sand, and the sea.

Neither Asherah or Gaara had ever known such peace.


	30. Chapter 30 - Siren or Shinobi?

**Thanks for reading! Please let me know if you enjoy! I don't own any of Naruto!**

—

A few weeks later, Gaara took Asherah and Seraphina to Skorgan for a visit.

Talgryn and Odessa were thrilled to welcome their first grandchild, Odessa's palace of black diamonds nearly complete.

The people of Skorgan were overjoyed for Asherah and Gaara and a large Skald was held in Seraphina's honor…...

Even though the small baby slept through it.

Gaara was surprised, he thought all the music would wake the little baby, but it seemed to help her sleep.

Music put her at ease…...

As he watched his wife hum to herself over Seraphina's crib, he looked down at his daughter and thought.

Had she been born the same as Asherah?

Would she grow to be…

Siren?

—-

As time began to pass, baby Seraphina grew.

She learned how to hold her head up, how to crawl, how to walk, how to draw, and how to speak.

Asherah and Gaara were also growing and learning.

They grew into their new roles and relationships, no longer only as husband and wife, but as mother and father to their child.

Asherah was learning how to be the warm, comforting mother she never really knew.

Gaara was learning how to be the father of a little girl.

He was discovering many new things.

He discovered women used the bathroom differently than men, how to play with dolls and makeup, and that little girls really didn't care for creatures that crawled.

Gaara remembered how much he enjoyed looking at bugs and snakes growing up, so one day, Gaara decided to bring home a small, poisonless scorpion he had found during his daily training to show Seraphina.

When his daughter shrieked at the top of her lungs and ran screaming to her mother, Gaara vowed never to do that again.

When Asherah scolded him for the following thirty minutes while Seraphina clung to her skirts and cried, Gaara asked himself why he had thought that was a good idea?

But, despite that afternoon, Gaara was very close to his little daughter.

Since her infancy, Asherah came with her everyday to sit in Gaara's office with him while he worked.

Most days, Seraphina would crawl up into Gaara's lap.

But she was never disruptive.

She was very shy and very well-behaved, watching her father meet with his people and fill out paperwork for hours without uttering a sound.

People would often comment to Gaara what a cute, obedient little girl he had…...

…..and how she would make him proud someday as the next Kazekage.

As much as Gaara loved his wife's song, the zeal in his daughter's eyes when Asherah played with her in the water made Gaara nervous.

The sand and the sea.

One day she would have to choose.

But which one?

—

"Mommy, why do I have to go to school?" Seraphina asked her mother early one morning.

She had now reached the age of four and it was her first day at Suna's ninja academy.

Asherah was not thrilled, but, it would please Gaara and she wanted Seraphina to have an education.

Asherah's husband had declined tutors saying he wanted his daughter to have friends and not be isolated, like he was at her age.

"Because it will please your father." Asherah said honestly, a hint of irritation at Gaara in her voice, as she finished plaiting Seraphina's hair.

The thick, long, red hair that sprouted from the Kazekage's daughter's head looked almost unnatural for a child of her age. Her hair, combined with her piercing green eyes and perfectly symmetrical, delicate facial features proved Seraphina really was a beautiful little girl.

She would grow to be a beautiful woman.

Asherah's eyes narrowed as she looked at her child, because she knew what she would really grow to be.

A beautiful siren.

"But I don't want to leave you and daddy." Seraphina's rosy lips curled into a pout.

"It is only for a few hours, little one. Then you will be home again. Keep your heart and mind open. You will make many friends and learn the ways of your father's people." Asherah told her daughter, pulling her red waves of hair over her shoulder.

"But when will I learn the ways of _your_ people, mommy?" Seraphina blinked at her mother.

Asherah thought carefully.

Gaara had specifically stated he did not want Seraphina to know about any siren ways until she was old enough, afraid she would give her heart to the wrath of beauty like Asherah's cousin, Elocin.

A smile danced on Asherah's lips.

What Gaara still didn't understand was the ways of sirenkind were not learned through books or a classroom.

"You _already_ know them. They are here." Asherah touched Seraphina's chest right over her heart, "and here." The Siren Queen's finger touched the child's head, over her brain.

Seraphina giggled.

"When you were born, they were already inside you. When you are old enough, you will be shown how to use them." Asherah said, placing the final comb in Seraphina's braids.

Gaara came to stand in the doorway.

"Look, Daddy's come to walk with you." Asherah said, looking up at her husband.

"Daddy!" Seraphina giggled, jumping up and running to her father, who took her by the hand.

"Treat everyone with kindness, and use your manners, lest you embarrass your father and I." Asherah waved to them as they walked off.

—

Seraphina's first day at school didn't go as well as Gaara had hoped.

As he tucked his little daughter into her bed that night, she frowned after Gaara asked about her class.

"No one talked to me at all, Daddy. No one came over to sit with me either. Mommy said I would make lots of friends to play with." Seraphina said sadly as Gaara placed her plush teddy bear in her arm.

It was old and worn.

The toy had been his when he was her age.

"It takes more than a day to make friends, Seraphina. Just give it some time and keep smiling." Gaara reassured her.

Seraphina looked up at her father inquisitively.

Gaara smiled down at her and bent over, kissing her forehead as he whispered to her in his gravelly voice, "I'm very proud of you. I always will be. Never forget whose child you are, alright? There's nothing you cannot do. You can make friends."

Seraphina smiled at Gaara and cuddled up to sleep, grabbing Gaara's hand and squeezing it. "I love you, daddy."

"I love you, my little cactus." Gaara smiled back, removing his hand once Seraphina drifted off to sleep and let him go.

Before Gaara left, he saw a soft, small smile on her tiny lips.

Gaara's face brightened with love and pride.

It looked just like the smile she had given him the night she was born.

His little cactus.

—

Asherah sat not in the water, but on their bed, singing quietly to herself, a beautiful, flowing melody, as she looked through photo albums of Seraphina's infancy.

The Siren Queen's song was rather sad tonight.

Her little girl was in school now.

Her baby would soon not be a baby anymore.

A pang hit Asherah's heart when she realized Seraphina would always be _her_ baby though, no matter how old she became.

As her long, tapered fingers turned another page, her song ended when she felt a wet, hot mouth plant itself on her neck.

Asherah started to scream but out of the corner of her eye, she saw spikes of Gaara's flame red hair.

"Hello, draga mea." Asherah purred happily, kissing his cheek as Gaara nipped over her neck.

She thought he was just saying hello.

He didn't think it was right to show affection in front of Seraphina, but behind closed doors, that was quite different.

Asherah blinked as Gaara pulled her onto his lap, one hand winding around her waist, the other snaking up to gently caress her plump breasts.

Gaara stopped nibbling her neck and nuzzled her, his eyes glancing at Seraphina's baby album.

A dark smirk crept over his face as he licked his wife's ear, whispering, "Another."

Asherah's eyes widened and the album fell from her hands as Gaara's fingers began to tickle and tease, his teeth biting down on her earlobe.

"W-what?" Asherah asked, surprised.

"You heard me." Gaara replied, his raspy voice thick and husky, shifting his wife so he could get more access.

"Another." Gaara all but growled, letting Asherah feel the bulge in his trousers.

His voice, lustful and authoritative, made Asherah shudder, her groin tensing in lust.

That was the Kazekage's command then…..

As his wife, it was Asherah's duty to grant his request.

Asherah turned to straddle him, kissing him deeply as they fell back on the bed.

So Gaara wished it, so it would be.


	31. Chapter 31 - What the future holds

**Thanks for reading! Please let me know if you enjoy! I don't own any of Naruto!**

—

"I need you to try harder." The sensei's voice droned on, bored, as Seraphina struggled back to her feet.

She had just taken a hard hit from her classmate as they trained a mile outside of Suna in the sweltering afternoon sun.

"I'm trying the best I can! It won't work for me!" Seraphina pleaded.

She tried to make a hand sign but it was all in vain, nothing happened.

It went so well for all the other students but never for her!

She shook her thick, red hair to get the sand out of it as her instructor sighed.

"Ok, you two, out. That's enough for today. Next." He said in his same bored voice.

Seraphina's opponent glared at her for ending his lesson prematurely.

Her eyes widened in surprise and embarrassment at her instructor's orders. "That's not what I meant! If you could hel-"

"I said 'next'!" Her sensei shouted.

As they walked away, her opponent, a boy with sandy blonde hair glared at her as he spoke.

"This is all your fault. What kind of Shinobi are you, anyway? What a loser."

Seraphina sighed.

She would soon be six years old.

School was the worst thing she had ever experienced in her short life.

She hated it.

She did fine with the books and her exams, but the training was just not coming together.

No ninjutsu, no chakra control, and battles certainly were not a strong point of hers.

Maybe it was that her heart wasn't in it, maybe it was just not what she was designed for.

A lack of motivation?

Whatever the reason, it didn't help that Seraphina also spent her days teased and shunned.

Probably since some children had lost family members to Gaara in the past, and probably also since they perceived her mother to be some sort of sea monster, she was either ignored or bullied by her peers.

Sometimes they would follow her home shouting at her, chasing her, sometimes they would "accidentally" shove her in the hallways.

Unless it was to torment her, they only interacted with her when they were forced to during lessons.

Not a single person reached out to her in friendship.

But it did not break her spirit.

A siren's heart was strong, even a small siren's.

As she sat on the sideline that afternoon, her classmate scooted far away from her, but she sang a small song to herself, quietly.

A song of hope.

Daughter of Asherah, granddaughter of Odessa, descendent of beauty herself, the small siren's quiet song of reassurance was picked up and carried across the desert by the wind.

It blew across the dunes until it was pushed into the ears of a traveler several miles out, who sat weeping.

The traveler's eyes widened with a gasp.

His tears stopped and a smile lit up his face.

Seraphina sang often, songs her mother taught her, songs she made up herself.

Music brought her solace, that, and dancing.

Those were the things she did best.

And she did them incredibly well.

—-

"Draga mea, please consider hiring a tutor. Your daughter is miserable. For two long years not a single soul has befriended her, and that's probably more our fault than the child's." Asherah pleaded with her husband that evening.

Seraphina had come home in tears again, reporting the same things from her day.

No one talked to her…..

The other children bullied her…

She didn't understand why she had to fight, why anyone had to fight…

Gaara's jade eyes moved to look at his wife.

"Shinobi education is designed to be a group activity." He rasped.

"Well, clearly the other little ones don't want Seraphina to be a part of that group." Asherah sighed as she climbed in the water. "We both know the pain of loneliness. Why make her suffer?"

A silence fell between husband and wife as they both receded into their thoughts.

Gaara had allowed Asherah to teach Seraphina bits and pieces of the siren ways, but only tidbits.

Those tidbits had been learned by his daughter at an alarming pace.

The child had an appetite for all Asherah was willing to share.

Gaara wished his daughter could graduate from the ninja academy, go on missions, rise through the ranks…..

Just as he and his siblings did.

But, just because Gaara wished it…..

Gaara had promised his daughter the night she was born he would always love her and be proud of her.

His eyes narrowed.

The Kazekage always kept his word.

Asherah knew by now, as her mother, that ninja school was not where her daughter truly belonged.

"Will you attempt to chose this one's fate as well?" Asherah asked quietly.

Gaara's eyes were soft and proud as he took off his coat and trousers and slipped in the pool behind his wife, his hands coming to splay over her abdomen that had a very slight, but very definite swell.

"You know that I only want the best for our children." He purred in her ear, kissing her cheek.

"Gaara…." Asherah turned to look at him pleadingly, her sapphire eyes losing just a bit of their sparkle with her sadness.

Gaara thought.

Suna's academy was the best education his daughter could receive…

But, his wife was right, his little Cactus was miserable there…..

A small, gentle ripple passed from Asherah's belly to Gaara's hand.

That combined with his wife's forlorn gaze melted his heart.

"Very well." Gaara rasped with a defeated sigh. "I will find a tutor."

A bright smile spread across Asherah's face, which triggered Gaara to grin.

He loved it when his wife was happy.

The walls were splashed with water as she hugged him tight.

Gaara kissed her forehead and stroked her hair.

—

Later, as Asherah lay sleeping, the Kazekage's smokey eyes were deep and loving as he gently stroked her cheek, down her arms, and across her abdomen.

A smile crept onto his face again.

He wondered if his second child would be another daughter or not…

He laid back on the bed and pulled Asherah into his arms.

Through her first pregnancy, Gaara had been overprotective, nearly driven mad with fear and anxiety.

Since things had gone so smoothly, his heart was not troubled this time around.

But there was a shadow coming to Suna.

Gaara shivered suddenly and he didn't know why.

Across the hall, Seraphina tossed and turned in her sleep, her eyes closed and brow furrowed in a deep frown.

Beside Kankuro, Elocin's white eyes narrowed as a darkness more foul than her entered their room.

One such as Gaara should have known the folly of underestimating a battle.

And indeed, a battle was coming to the Kazekage and his family.


	32. Chapter 32 - Where to Begin

**Thanks for reading! I don't own any of Naruto! Please let me know if you enjoy!**

—

Gaara's search for a proper tutor was long and onerous.

He had finally found a Sunese instructor for his daughter, but at his wife's request, was still searching for a second teacher well versed in Asherah's heritage.

With knowledge of Skorgan and siren kind.

Gaara scowled down at his desk one afternoon.

How was he going to find someone who fit that description?

—-

Across the village, Elocin hurried down the street towards the Kage mansion.

She grinned to herself as she walked.

In her hand, she clutched one of the flyers advertising the position for Seraphina's tutor.

Her tattered skirts had been recently cleaned, her unruly black hair neatly combed, bone jewelry polished.

Even dark sirens knew it was important to look your best for a job interview.

—

"Lord Gaara, there is someone requesting to speak with you." Gaara's subordinate said as he knocked on Gaara's door.

"Very well." Gaara rasped.

He looked up from his desk as Elocin walked in his office, grinning.

"You! What have you come for?" Gaara asked in surprise.

Gaara regarded her for a minute.

That deathly pale skin stretched over her bones, the souvenirs from her victims she wore as jewelry, and those dead-looking white eyes perched so unnaturally in their sockets.

She looked even more nightmarish in the sunlight.

It had been awhile since Gaara had come face to face with his wife's cousin, she normally kept her visits to Asherah and Seraphina.

And his brother, Kankuro, of course….

Why Kankuro preferred Elocin's company, Gaara didn't really understand, but, if it made him happy…..

"I have to come to serve as the small one's tutor." Elocin replied cordially.

The Kazekage was surprised.

"Her secondary tutor." Gaara corrected her.

"The only tutor that matters." Elocin smirked with a humble, but sarcastic bow to Gaara.

Gaara scowled in thought.

Actually, Elocin would be the perfect one for the job.

She had excellent knowledge of Asherah's world and genuinely loved Seraphina as more of a niece than a cousin.

The two were wonderful friends.

But….

He knew Asherah would be worried that bond may grow and lead his daughter towards a darker path.

Gaara believed his child's heart was stronger than that.

After a brief discussion, Gaara ended it by letting Elocin know, "I will discuss it with Asherah this evening."

"Since she will say yes, I will give the child her first lesson tomorrow." Elocin grinned before taking her leave in one smooth motion.

"That's not what I-" Gaara started to say, but by the time those words left his mouth she was gone.

Gaara scowled.

Would this be a good idea or…?

—-

"Absolutely not!" Asherah almost shouted that night after she tucked Seraphina into bed and joined Gaara in their room.

He had just mentioned who he had interviewed today.

"She's your cousin. She strong and powerful, isn't she?" Gaara asked.

"Well, yes, of course she is! That's exactly why this cannot happen! The wrath of beauty is handed down like the heart of the sea! She will just want to use Seraphina to pass it along!" Asherah cried as she paced back and forth. "Just let me teach her, I'm her mother!"

Asherah stopped suddenly and put a hand to her head.

Gaara quickly stood and rushed to her as he saw his wife, who could swim, jump, and dive, seemingly lose her balance and stumble on flat ground.

Over the last few weeks, Asherah kept having fleeting episodes where her head would throb like it was going to explode for a moment and she would be stunningly dizzy.

That Kazekage's smokey jade eyes narrowed in concern as he wrapped one arm around her waist and the other around her swollen tummy, bracing her against him.

"Are you alright?" Gaara asked in his low, gravelly voice.

"Yes, I'm fine." Asherah said after a long moment, removing her hand and pulling away from him like nothing happened.

"I'm taking you to another doctor tomorrow." Gaara ordered as he helped her sit down.

"I already saw another doctor and he agreed with the others, he said it was fine, it's all hormonal. It will all pass." Asherah reassured her husband, settling back into his arms.

Gaara's eyes widened a little at how fast her heart was going as he felt her against him, hard and quick, like she had just been running a long distance…

That always seemed to follow these episodes and they always started with her becoming upset or excited….

"We're going to get a second opinion." Gaara said as he kissed her forehead. "Asherah,"

"Hm?" The Siren Queen asked tiredly as she looked up at him.

"Why not your let cousin try, at least until the baby comes? Just for a few weeks? And if you're unhappy with her, I will forbid her to teach Seraphina anymore." Gaara offered.

Asherah sighed and settled against him, Gaara noticed how she closed her eyes and pressed a hand over her racing heart. "Very well."

Her face looked paler than usual and before Gaara could ask her if there was anything he could do, she had already fallen asleep.

Gaara was worried, he didn't care what that doctor, or any other doctor said, his wife wasn't well.

And he would take her to every doctor he could find until someone decided to find out what was wrong.

His eyes softened as he gently rubbed her rounded belly that pressed against him, "Hold on, little one, you and your mother will be alright, I promise."

—-

The next morning, Gaara related the news to Elocin that she got the job.

The dark siren made a sound like a cobra getting run over by a cart, but Gaara surmised from her smile that was how she expressed glee.

She had asked Gaara for the privilege to tell Seraphina herself and he had acquiesced.

So, later that day, Elocin waited outside Suna's ninja academy for Seraphina when class was dismissed.

The dark siren saw the little red-headed girl emerge from the doors wiping tears away.

It had been a rough day again for Gaara's daughter.

Elocin's eyes narrowed.

"Why are you crying, small one?" She asked, quickly striding up beside of Seraphina in one smooth, inhuman motion.

"Oh, auntie Elocin! The others are always so…..cruel. But father is finding me a tutor, so, it'll all be over soon." Seraphina sniffed, smiling, trying to stay optimistic.

"What others are always…..cruel?" Elocin asked.

"My classmates, especially the boys." Seraphina sniffed.

"One such as you does not have to endure such things, even for a moment." Elocin said, raising an eyebrow at Seraphina.

"But father said I may never use violence against my comrades." Seraphina blinked.

"I was not suggesting violence." Elocin laughed as they walked.

"What am I to do, then?" Seraphina asked.

Elocin grinned.

A wide, evil, malicious grin.

"My dear cousin, your father has hired me as your tutor! Tomorrow is your last day here!" Elocin announced with joy.

Seraphina's mouth fell open in shock before she broke out in a big smile. "Really?!"

Elocin chuckled. "Yes, really! I will teach you all you need to know and what you don't need to know!"

Elocin neglected to mention the other tutor, the one from Suna.

She didn't have plans for him yet, but in the dark recesses of her mind, she was working on it.

After all, she was the only one that was important, right?

Seraphina was about to burst from excitement.

"Come and see me tomorrow morning, before your last day here, and I will give you your first lesson, tiny cousin." She said, grinning down at the small girl.

"No violence?" Seraphina asked.

Elocin held up a hand, talons reaching into the air over her fingers. "No violence, I promise."

As Seraphina turned and ran home in exhilaration, Elocin licked her lips.

After watching Seraphina come out in tears today, Elocin knew just where to begin.


	33. Chapter 33 - A Strong Opponent

**Thanks for reading! I don't own any of Naruto! Please let me know if you enjoy! New chapter every Saturday!**

—

Asherah woke the next morning to the most intense pain she'd felt in years.

Her head throbbed, her hands throbbed, her feet throbbed.

It felt hard to breathe, like someone was crushing her skull.

She brought an arm to her head when she tried to sit up and rolled back onto the mattress.

Jade eyes opened as the Kazekage woke from her movement.

In an instant Gaara had scooped her gently into his arms, "Where does it hurt? What's wrong? Is it the baby?" He asked with wide, worried eyes.

Asherah hadn't even made it to her eighth month...

"No, its…...it's just my head. Oh, draga mea…" Asherah groaned as she struggled to move.

Gaara gently helped her sit up.

Asherah was breathing hard as she brought her arm down, the pain subsiding. "There…...there, it's better now."

Gaara's eyes were narrowed. "As soon as Seraphina goes to school, we're going to a doctor."

"I don't like doctors." Asherah sighed, laying against him.

Gaara laid a hand on Asherah's swollen belly and looked at her pleadingly.

The pain in her head threatened to come back as Asherah sighed. "Alright, draga mea, alright."

Gaara leaned over and kissed her gently, easing her back until she was laying down again. "Rest, I'll send Seraphina off, then we're going."

"Take your time." Asherah smiled, feeling better now, her face relaxing.

Gaara gave her a wry smile, then dressed and left to get his tiny daughter ready.

As he walked down the hall towards Seraphina's room, his smile disappeared and a scowl of worry planted itself on his face.

This time, his worry was not just a first time father's nervousness.

Something was wrong.

Badly wrong.

—-

A short while later, Seraphina made her way down the Sunese street towards the academy.

Normally she frowned as she walked to school, but today she skipped along with a bright smile…

Because today was her last day.

Her last day of school!

As she had been instructed, she stopped to meet her new tutor, her cousin Elocin, before going inside.

"Wear this." Elocin told the child, clasping a necklace on Seraphina that held a single, small, pearl-shaped vial.

Inside the vial, there was a single black drop of some sort of liquid.

"If your classmates try your patience today, this will help them learn better manners." Elocin grinned, showing her shark-like teeth. "All you have to do is open your heart."

Seraphina didn't look so sure. "But, no violence?"

Elocin's grin widened. "No violence."

"Ok." Seraphina smiled, turning and going into class.

"That'll teach the little sand scarabs to target a siren." Elocin chuckled darkly to herself.

—

By the time Gaara took Asherah to a doctor, she was feeling a bit better, the pain in her head not as intense.

The doctor insisted the swelling in her hands and feet was normal.

Asherah's vitals were taken.

She was given an exam.

Everything looked fine.

Gaara scowled as they were released, his eyes narrowed as he carried his wife back home at his insistence she shouldn't walk.

This doctor didn't help them.

With today's visit, Asherah had now seen every doctor in Suna and they all said she was fine and healthy.

As backup opinions, Gaara had already assembled some of the medical team he had hired when Seraphina was born, but they could find nothing wrong with Asherah either.

Gaara was not happy.

Something was wrong, and he was determined to get an answer.

"Gaara, it is alright. I am alright. We are alright." Asherah frowned once Gaara sat her down in her pool.

"I'm going to call someone who really knows what they're doing." Gaara growled as he stormed off.

Like all of the other doctors and experts were charlatans…..

"Who will you call?" Asherah asked him before he disappeared.

"Sakura Uchiha And Tsunade Senju!" Gaara shouted.

Asherah blinked.

She had briefly met them when she married Gaara.

Would they really be able to help her and her baby?

—-

The Kazekage's scowl of worry remained all day.

As soon as he received the message from Gaara explaining the situation, Naruto agreed to send Sakura and Tsunade as soon and as quickly as possible.

Within a few minutes they were on their way, and using Naruto's toads for transportation, they were scheduled to arrive in Suna in a matter of hours.

Gaara had duties he had to perform that day, but he left Vassar and Mathis to guard Asherah.

He had instructed them vehemently to not let her out of their sights, and if she became pained again to notify him immediately.

That didn't cease his worrying.

The Kazekage was unusually distracted during his afternoon meetings, his mind constantly turning back towards his wife and unborn child.

"Lord Gaara, are you listening?" A council member asked after Gaara failed to respond to a question.

"Of course, I was only thinking." Gaara replied in his gravelly voice.

He was thinking of his hope that Tsunade and Sakura would be able to help.

—

As Gaara trudged through the last of his afternoon meetings, Seraphina walked out of class at the end of the day, passed for the last time through the academy doors, and began to make her way home.

Instead of a frown, she wore a bright smile.

Even brighter than the one from the morning.

The instructor had announced to everyone it was her last day and to Seraphina's surprise, all fell quiet.

No bullying.

No rudeness.

Her classmates ignored her as usual, but they had not teased her at all!

She would go home and tell her parents and get to learn from Elocin and-

"Hey, you!"

Seraphina blinked and turned around.

Five of her worst tormentors, three boys and two girls, stood smirking at her, now far enough away from the academy that no adults would see them or hear them.

"Why are you not coming back, freak?" One boy asked, crossing his arms.

Seraphina frowned. "I'm not a freak, and I have a tutor now. Father says it will be better this way."

"Yeah? Well, my dad says your _father_ is a freak and you're just like him! I think that's why you're leaving!"

That little black drop of liquid jumped in her necklace as rage surged through Seraphina's heart.

Seraphina's frown turned into a scowl, but she turned homewards and started to just walk away.

"Or is it because you're too stupid to pass?"

Seraphina ignored that and began to walk faster.

She wasn't too stupid to pass, she aced all her written work, she just couldn't use ninjutsu…...

…...But that didn't make her stupid.

"Why don't you come back and fight, freak?!" The boy shouted.

Seraphina began to run but was stopped when a large rock hit her hard in the back of the head.

The little siren fought dizziness and double vision from the impact as her hands went to touch the wound.

Shock and horror flooded her mind as she realized her fingers were wet, wet with blood.

They had never made her bleed before.

The boy who threw the rock looked proud of himself, but his accomplices looked a bit shocked.

They didn't intend to go _this_ far.

From a distance, Elocin watched, licking her lips as that tiny drop of black liquid expanded in the vial, turning Seraphina's pendant entirely black.

….And her eyes pure white like Elocin's.

She was such a small child, her heart completely innocent, completely open.

That single black drop was a tiny molecule of the wrath of beauty.

And beauty was not pleased.

The little siren's head snapped up as the power of that single drop began to take over.

The boy's confident smirk disappeared and the other children gasped when they saw her cold, white eyes.

"You're right." The tiny redhead agreed, facing her bullies.

The boy who threw the rock looked surprised, "w-what?"

"I am a freak." Seraphina grinned. "And I'm happy I'm a freak. Because freaks can do whatever they want."

That single drop contained by the necklace, overpowered the child as Seraphina lifted her hand.

A sudden rush of cold, wet wind zoomed past the children and beat at the boy who threw the rock, ripping his clothes and cutting into his skin with a salty, wet spray.

The boy screamed and struggled as an invisible force pulled him towards her in the tumultuous wet blast, elevating his feet a few inches off the ground.

"You've spent two years humiliating me. Now it's time I humiliated you. I'm going to take something precious from you. Something you can never get back." Seraphina grinned as the boy's eyes widened in terror.

Would she attack him?

Kill him?

No.

She was still a child.

Seraphina leaned in and kissed him.

A sweet, innocent kiss.

But his first kiss, nonetheless.

His first kiss was to the very "freak" he hated, and the others all gasped in horror, because Seraphina was right.

His first kiss…...

He could never get that back.

—

Asherah sat, still feeling a bit off, waiting for Seraphina to get home, when she looked out the window and beheld the scene in the desolate street.

She saw Seraphina kiss the boy, saw her eyes white.

The Siren Queen's own sapphire orbs widened and she quickly stood, ignoring the surge of pain in her head, leaving the Kage mansion and running out towards her daughter.

Her guards were dozing in the corner and by the time they realized she was gone, she had a good head start.

"Your majesty!" Vassar called, chasing after her.

"Queen Asherah, please stop!" Mathis pleaded, trying to catch her too.

Running was a terrible idea for Asherah and her baby, but her Seraphina was in trouble, so what choice did she have?

The other children looked on, unbelieving, as the wind ceased and the boy was tossed by that same invisible force to the ground.

For once, he was looking up to Seraphina, instead of looking down.

The little siren's white eyes regarded the boy so coldly, he shivered.

Seraphina took a step towards him, and the boy whimpered, scooting back on his bottom, truly afraid now, remorseful for what he had done, "I am not your classmate or your toy. I am descended from centuries of creatures so powerful a thousand years in this school couldn't let you compete with them. You will not disrespect my father as Kazekage. My mother is a Queen. That makes me a princess. Bow before me, I'm royalty."

"Seraphina!" Asherah shouted, as she finally ran up.

The other children took this as their opportunity to get away and they quickly scurried down the street, fleeing.

Her mother's voice called Seraphina's heart back and the little black drop sank down to the bottom of the vial again, Seraphina's green eyes returning as the white faded away.

"Seraphina, what are you doing?! What have you done?" Asherah asked, panting, looking over her daughter.

It looked like she was almost trying to make a songlin, but she was way too young for that….

Asherah's head began to throb worse, her heart not slowing back down after her run.

"Nothing, ma-ma, I was just talking to my classmates." Seraphina said innocently, looking over to the side, hoping Asherah didn't see….

"What is that?" Asherah asked as she saw the necklace, quickly snapping the chain off of her daughter's neck.

"Elocin gave that to me for help! It's nothing!" Seraphina insisted as Asherah inspected it.

"Oh no…" The Siren Queen gasped.

Asherah of Skorgan knew what that black drop of liquid was.

Her poor, sweet baby girl had just been offered as food to the wrath of beauty.

Vassar and Mathis finally caught up, out of breath.

Asherah grabbed Seraphina's hand and pulled Elocin out of hiding.

"Take us to Gaara of Suna, all of us, NOW." Asherah commanded sternly as her guards exchanged tired glances.

"So I wish it so it shall be!" Asherah roared.

Vassar and Mathis knew with that statement, her order was absolute.

They were quickly on their way…..

—-

"You're fired! How dare you do this to Seraphina!" Gaara rasped dangerously at Elocin after Asherah angrily explained what had happened.

"The child needed protection. It is my duty to watch over the innocent and wreak havoc on the wicked. This morning she had bullies, now she doesn't. In one day, I accomplished what you and my cousin failed to do in two years." Elocin grinned.

That horrible throbbing in Asherah's head was making it hard to concentrate, the pain seemed to be shooting down her spine.

Gaara was so angry and irritated he didn't notice his wife stumble a bit….

Her hands press against her belly…...

Gaara opened his mouth to spew a retort at Elocin but-

A knock came suddenly on the door, and a Sunese messenger entered. "Lord Kazekage, Tsunade and Sakura from Konoha have arrived. They say they were followed by a large group of rogue Shinobi and they are quickly approaching the gate."

The ache in Asherah's body worsened, until it transferred to a sharp, jarring pain in her abdomen that caused her to slowly sink down on the floor.

"Ma-ma?" Seraphina asked, concerned.

Elocin and Seraphina looked on anxiously as Gaara quickly reached and held the Siren Queen as she curled into his arms and moaned.

"Asherah?" He asked urgently, smokey jade eyes scanning over her face.

Gaara heard a very quiet, but distinct, popping sound.

"D-draga mea…..I think the baby's coming." Asherah groaned.

The Kazekage looked down in horror and saw the blood-streaked fluid that pooled underneath his pregnant wife.

Gaara's heart almost stopped in his chest. "N-no! I-I-It's too early!"

What would he do?

Asherah was in trouble…..the village was about to be attacked by brutal murderers…..

He needed to be with Asherah….but as Kazekage, it was his duty to defend Suna…..

In that tense and dark moment, Elocin finally found a way to be useful to the Kazekage.

She bent down to Gaara's ear and whispered, "All this today over a single drop. These men will be nothing for me~. Go on, see to my cousin, meet your new one. I would love~ to get a taste of hearts so dark."

Gaara looked up with a scowl, but a grateful scowl.

He nodded to his subordinate, and in a whirl of sand, he was on his way to the hospital with Asherah.

Elocin let Gaara's messenger bring Seraphina to Temari's house while the dark siren quickly met Kankuro on the front line of Suna's defense team.

As Asherah moaned in Gaara's arms while they made their way to the hospital, across the village, Elocin just laughed as the rogues advanced.

Deep inside the dark siren's heart though, a small but powerful fear manifested.

Death was a strong opponent…..

Elocin would enjoy winning her fight.

She just hoped Asherah could win hers.


	34. Chapter 34 - Death in Suna

**Thanks for reading! I don't own any of Naruto! Please let me know if you enjoy! New chapter every week!**

— **-**

The pain in Asherah's head was almost as bad as the pain in her belly as Gaara quickly brought her to the hospital.

The couple arrived in a whirlwind of sand directly inside the emergency department.

The sand spun so violently around them, it slung nearby papers in every direction.

Nurses, doctors, and medical nins looked shocked.

"Lord Gaara!"

"Kazekage!"

Gaara just narrowed his eyes as he felt Asherah writhe in his arms, her breath hitching. "Help my wife! She needs a doctor, now!" Gaara ordered.

The medical staff scrambled around and quickly a bed was wheeled up.

The nurses reached out to help Asherah lay down, but Gaara gave them such a fierce, dangerous glare, they stepped back and let him position his wife himself.

In a split second they were racing down the hall towards the nearest vacant room.

The pain was so intense, Asherah's ears seemed to ring, bright lights blinding her as they rolled along.

This was different than when Seraphina was born.

There were breaks, rests….

No rest now.

Pain unending, and everywhere, seeming to consume her entire body, entire being…..

Dying…..

Asherah knew she was dying.

It was either her or her baby.

Death.

She told herself to focus on Gaara….

Her handsome, loving husband, his flame red hair still visible even with the lights blinding, his jade eyes soft with love but tense with worry.

The Kazekage tried to explain what had happened to the nurses as they moved.

For Asherah, it was like he was talking in slow motion.

Gaara's eyes were wide as he spoke, his mind racing.

How could he have been so relaxed throughout this pregnancy?

He should have known better!

This was always his biggest fear.

And the pain and anxiety in Asherah's eyes made his heart tighten and twist even more…

The nurses quickly wheeled Asherah into a sparse but clean room and flipped on so many lights Gaara wanted to cover his eyes.

This hospital…..sterile and cold….

Asherah moaned and bent over in pain as several nurses left to gather supplies.

Blood stained the sheets at the bed of the bed.

Would he be able to bring her home?

Would he be able to bring his baby home?

—-

Outside the hospital, on the other end of the village, at Suna's gates, Elocin looked over at Kankuro.

Gaara's brother was posed with his poison puppets, face clenched, muscles tightened, ready to attack.

The rebels were almost in range…...

Elocin's blank white eyes roamed over Suna's defense line, also poised to attack.

The Shinobis dotted the village entry border like ants.

"My darling, what are you doing?" Elocin nonchalantly asked Kankuro.

"Elocin, I'm trying to focus. It's up to us to stop these men from reaching the village!" Kankuro said very seriously.

As the rebels surged closer, Elocin walked directly in front of Kankuro and cupped his face, "But there is no need for toys and knives and all these things….not when I am here." She grinned.

Before Kankuro could reply, Elocin laughed and took the opportunity to kiss him.

Their lips crushing together just as an approaching rogue shot an arrow, aimed right at Elocin's spine….

—-

Across the village, Asherah panted hard, half-sitting in her bed as Gaara moped her forehead with a cool cloth.

The Siren Queen had been given several annoying but necessary treatments.

Her hand was sore from her I.V. as a cocktail of drugs was pumped through her veins.

The pain in her head was better, but now contractions were really starting to set in.

Ten people had been in and out of the room, at least ten.

Strangers.

Taking vitals, attaching monitors, drawing blood samples, performing examinations.

Asherah was thirsty, so thirsty, and she had been told she could have no water, in case they had to operate.

If only she could get _in_ the water!

That was where she needed to be!

Tsunade and Sakura had finally been called and they stood outside the room, mumbling about Asherah's chart with the hospital's attending doctors.

Asherah gripped Gaara's hand and curled over her belly as she groaned.

Gaara's eyes narrowed in concern. "You've got to keep breathing." He coached, placing a hand on her lower back and rubbing deep, low circles into the spasming muscles.

His jaw was clenched in tension. This was way too early…..

"I need…...I need the water, draga mea. To be in it, to drink it, anything! Just get me water!" Asherah gasped, her face pale, fear and agony draining the light from her sapphire eyes.

Blood loss…..

Gaara had seen blood when Asherah's water broke and she hadn't stopped bleeding since.

After the drugs were administered, the bleeding was less severe, but still present, so much so that the room carried a metallic scent.

Gaara was terrified….

His wife didn't bleed like this with their first child.

Gaara's face softened, his eyes full of remorse as he stroked his wife's sweaty hair out of her face. "Asherah, I can't give you water or get you to the water right now. You need help. The baby needs help. These people are going to help us, alright?" He asked.

Gaara's heart broke as his laboring wife just stared at him, in agony and horror, not only for refusing her request, but as if she knew some terrible truth that he did not.

She was silent, but as Gaara looked at her, a single tear rolled down her cheek.

"I love you." Gaara rasped as the door opened.

Tsunade and Sakura walked in, both women smiling.

Gaara could see those smiles were forced.

His scowl deepened.

Konoha's top healers were nervous….

That wasn't a good sign.

"Gaara, and Asherah, I remember well." Tsunade nodded at him, smiling at his wife on the bed.

"Kazekage-sama, and Mrs. Kazekage." Sakura smiled.

"What's wrong with my wife?" Gaara interrupted with a scowl.

Two lives were on the line, they weren't here for tea. Now was not the time for formal greetings.

Asherah began to gasp again and Gaara let her grip his hand, his eyes narrowed with concern as he watched her closely.

Jade eyes widened as Sakura sat down on the bed and cradled Asherah's pregnant belly, speaking softly to her, "That's it….breathe... in and out…..don't force…"

Asherah moaned as she came down from the pain's peak, looking gratefully at her husband and the pinkette.

Gaara noticed Tsunade preparing a table with supplies while Sakura sat with him and Asherah.

"Her blood pressure is way too high. And according to what I saw, it has been for some time. She's at risk for a blood clot, a stroke….. I don't know how the doctors missed this. The high blood pressure has led to some…..complications." Tsunade explained quickly, washing her hands and pulling on gloves.

"What kind of complications?" Gaara snapped as Asherah let out a keening whine that turned into a scream.

She dug her nails deep into his palms as she shouted. "I'VE GOT TO PUSH!"

The Kazekage's eyes widened.

No!

How could that be?!

This had taken hours with Seraphina!

"No! It's too early! You have to stop the labor!" Gaara shouted, watching Sakura move quickly to Asherah's feet, peering between her legs.

"Gaara, this baby's coming now! The only thing we can do is to help with the delivery!" Sakura yelled back as Tsunade rushed to join her.

Asherah groaned and kicked her leg against the pain before Gaara gently but firmly, held it by the ankle with one hand, letting her squeeze his free one.

"I love you!" Gaara shouted over Sakura and Tsunade's commands.

He wasn't sure if his wife heard him or not.

Sweat poured from her face, her neck.

Her skin was blood red with effort.

It hadn't been like this with Seraphina.

When Seraphina was born, there was pain, but it was calm and peaceful, an intense but joyous moment.

Not this time.

Asherah hated this.

The frightened look in Gaara's eyes, these women she barely knew touching her, needles jabbed into her arm, bright lights glaring down into her face…..

Invading…..invading…...

This didn't even feel like a birth.

It felt like a trauma.

What seemed like eternity was only a few seconds though, and when Gaara felt his wife's grip relax, he looked over and saw Sakura holding something.

Something small and pale, with tiny tufts of red and blonde hair.

A pang of realization struck Gaara.

That was the baby.

It was far, far too small.

Tsunade and Sakura were silent.

It was a boy…...

He was still.

He was silent.

Asherah panted as she laid back, swallowing hard, she looked up at Gaara, her breathing increasing with her fear at the deafening quiet in the room.

Tears welled in Gaara's eyes as Sakura frowned sadly after she and Tsunade frantically examined the tiny child.

Gaara's gaze, that once inspired so much fear and hatred, broke Sakura's heart now as she looked at him and shook her head.

"Gaara?" Asherah asked as a tear rolled down her cheek.

She wanted her husband to tell her it was ok.

That the baby was perfect.

Or, that the baby wasn't perfect, but would live and grow.

She wanted her husband to tell her anything but the truth.

Gaara felt his breath coming sharply as he turned towards his wife, his lips twisting as tears began to roll down his face. "I love you." He rasped quietly, reassuring her.

"I'm so sorry." Sakura sincerely told the heartbroken couple.

Asherah's eyes widened.

"No!" Asherah gasped. "Gaara, no! Please! Let me hold my baby!"

Gaara tightened his grip on his wife's hand.

No, that would only make it harder on her, on them both.

Let go…..

They had to let go.

The Kazekage saw his wife's beautiful face contort as the most brutal pain a woman could ever experience crashed upon her….

The loss of a child.

"I love you!" Gaara cried over Asherah's screams of protest.

Sakura gently passed the silent baby over to Tsunade.

Gaara's sad jade eyes wrenched away from his wife to see his son laid in a cold, sterile bassinet, all alone.

He didn't know what was worse…

The cries of a grieving mother…

Or the silence of a child that didn't live.

—-

Kankuro saw sadness in Elocin's blank white eyes as she whispered to him, breaking their kiss, "Death is here. Death has come to Suna! I must keep it here, with me!"

"What?" Kankuro asked, confused, before Elocin jolted in his arms, throwing her head back with a cry as the arrow collided with her spine.

"Elocin!" Kankuro shouted, reaching to catch her, before he pulled his arms back with a hiss.

Elocin's skin was burning hot, hotter than an iron in a fire, her white eyes blazing, black hair flowing in an invisible wind.

She gave herself freely as the wrath of beauty surged through her.

"Use me as your hand….." Elocin's cracked lips whispered as she turned to face the snarling rouges, the arrow falling away as her flesh healed.

Kankuro gave the signal for Suna's defenses to hold their fire.

"To thwart the wicked….." Elocin smiled.

Elocin opened her mouth and drew in a breath, exhaled, and inhaled and then she spoke:

 _Lie down, you dark hearts_

 _It is senseless to resist_

 _Lie down, cease to persist_

 _Look around you, all you mother's sons_

 _There's nothing here to gain_

The advancing rogue army stopped as if they were caught in a trance, each man sat down on the sand, and thought.

The blazing Sunese sun beat down on their backs as Elocin smiled and continued:

 _Accept death's sweet embrace and there'll be no more pain_

—-

As Tsunade and Sakura worked frantically to stop Asherah's bleeding, the siren Queen's tears ceased and her face relaxed.

"Give me my baby." Asherah commanded quietly, firmly.

She was not asking her husband.

She was ordering him now.

"Asherah…." Gaara rasped, hanging his head.

It pained him so to deny his wife, but he felt like holding the child would only make their grief worse.

"I want my baby! Give me my baby, Gaara of Suna! So I wish it, so it will be!" Asherah screamed.

Gaara visibly flinched at the animosity, the desperation, in Asherah's cry.

He would give in.

The Kazekage walked over, carefully picked his son up and laid him in his wife's arms.

Gaara marveled at how small he was, the child fit in Gaara's two hands, with little tufts of red and blonde hair, eyes closed.

He had been very cute, chubby cheeks and all.

Asherah held her little boy tenderly, tears flowing down her face, her fingers rubbing her baby's hand.

Softly, she hummed a mother's song of love as she kissed his tiny head.

Then the unthinkable happened.

The thunderous silence in the room was broken.

A sound…

Gaara's eyes widened, as big as saucers.

Impossible….

Sakura gasped in disbelief, Tsunade's jaw dropped.

A cough…..

Then a whimper…..

A sniffle…..

A small cry…..

The baby boy moved his hand first, just a twitch, then one leg, then both.

In a few seconds, Gaara's baby boy that was presumed to be dead, scrunched up his tiny little face and wailed from his mother's arms, fragile and small, but present.

"I know all men's hearts, Gaara of Suna, no matter how small, and his heart is not finished with this world yet. It's only beginning." Asherah told Gaara confidently over their son's cries.

Asherah smiled as her baby boy sung his first, earsplitting song to the world.

Apparently, his lungs weren't damaged.

Gaara dared to laugh, happy tears of relief and joy streaming down his face as he wrapped his arms gently around Asherah, their new baby screaming that he was alive…...small…...but alive.

—

Elocin's black leather shoes made a soft, sifting sound as they walked across the sand, up and down the rows of dead rogues.

Each man lay curled in the fetal position, eyes closed, body cold, sleeping forever, as Elocin gently and eagerly harvested their hearts.

"To protect all Siren kind….." The dark siren smiled with pride.

She had performed well today.

Beauty was pleased.

—

While Tsunade and Sakura cleaned Asherah and the new, wailing baby, Gaara stepped into the hallway to meet with his subordinate, forcing his emotions back as he switched gears.

It was still his duty to protect his village, not only his family.

"How is the situation at the gates?" The Kazekage asked.

"There is no more situation at the gates." His subordinate replied.

Gaara raised a brow. "How many soldiers did Suna lose?"

"None."

"My brother?" He asked.

"He is fine, Lord Gaara." The subordinate reassured.

"And the enemies?" Gaara asked.

"Frozen."

Gaara looked shocked.

"What?" Gaara rasped.

"Frozen, Lord Gaara." The subordinate replied.

"They froze to death in the middle of the desert?!" Gaara rasped.

"Yes, Kazekage. Their bodies were so cold their skin was blue, ice on their eyelashes!" The soldier exclaimed.

Gaara's eyes narrowed as he nodded, sending his subordinate away.

He looked out the window in the hospital hallway, across Suna, towards the gate.

"Thank you." He said quietly.

Maybe he had underestimated Elocin.

Suna was safe.

The Kazekage's family was safe.

For that, Gaara was grateful.


	35. Chapter 35 - The Journey Ahead

**Thanks for reading! I don't own any of Naruto! Please let me know if you enjoy! New chapter every week!**

— **-**

"Look Seraphina, this is Katsuro, your new baby brother." Gaara rasped to his daughter, holding her hand and letting her peer through the glass walls of the incubator that held his infant son.

The baby and Asherah had survived, yes.

But neither were doing well.

Asherah was healing slowly, painfully.

Her recovery would have been accelerated if she had the opportunity to care for herself.

Unfortunately, being the new mother of a premature baby didn't give the Siren Queen that luxury.

Asherah and Gaara named the baby Katsuro, which literally meant "victory" in Gaara's language.

Surviving his birth had been a victory for the tiny boy.

The baby had been so premature he experienced severe developmental problems.

He had now been in the world nearly six weeks and so far, had never left the hospital.

The nurses all had the utmost sympathy for the poor baby, with his chubby cheeks and his spiky red and blonde hair.

But, they all worked in shifts.

Asherah was there with him twenty-four hours a day.

Katsuro screamed day and night.

Hungry or full.

Clean or wet.

Asherah and Gaara couldn't help but notice small shadows around his eyes that resembled Gaara's…

But Asherah attributed those to lack of sleep, to low blood oxygen.

Asherah had been a good mother, was a good mother, and sat by him, sleeping in the chair when he slept, holding him for hours on end to comfort him as he wailed his minuscule lungs out.

Gaara felt deeply sorry for his wife.

Since he was Kazekage, he had to tend to his leadership duties.

He had to take care of Seraphina.

Gaara got a break.

Asherah didn't.

Gaara had brought a small pool to the hospital and filled it with water from the Black Sea for her to sit in, and that was a great relief.

However, a full swim for a day or four would have been ideal.

Asherah's skin lost its usual radiance, dark circles formed around her tired sapphire eyes.

It had been a rough six weeks for the Kazekage and his family.

Over the past few days though, things had started to improve.

Katsuro, Gaara's first son was now the size of a normal newborn.

He only screamed for a few hours a day, he could breathe on his own, and all of his blood counts were normal and healthy.

Today was the day that he and Asherah were coming home.

And as Gaara stood with his daughter, he smiled as he watched the child look upon her baby brother for the first time.

Gaara wanted a big family so his children would be able to grow close to each other, like he was with Temari and Kankuro.

"He looks like a worm." Seraphina scowled.

Gaara frowned.

"Seraphina, one day, your mother and I will not be here anymore. Katsuro could be all you have, he's your brother and he will love you, just like you will grow to love him." Gaara tried to teach his daughter.

The baby began to wake and his little face twisted into a frown as he started to cry.

"Where will you and mother go?" Seraphina asked.

Gaara chose to treat that matter delicately with his daughter at such a tender age.

"Somewhere far away from here." He said over the baby's screams.

"I think I'll go with you and mother!" Seraphina shouted, looking over at her father as the baby wailed louder, covering her ears.

Gaara chuckled.

On the inside, he was worried.

Of course, Seraphina and Katsuro would grow to be close, like he and Temari were, right?

—-

Time passed and Gaara's premature baby boy grew into an adorable little toddler.

Everyday Seraphina grew as well.

Her lessons with her private tutors were going wonderfully.

Gaara had allowed Elocin to continue teaching Seraphina, but only under Asherah's supervision, each lesson being approved beforehand.

Asherah certainly had her hands full with her little boy.

Anything and everything Katsuro could get into, he did so with glee.

No fear, stubborn as a mule, completely fascinated by anything sticky, icky, or oozey, the tiny boy was always quick to investigate.

One afternoon, Gaara took Katsuro with him to the office to do some paperwork while Asherah took Seraphina on an errand.

Gaara wasn't sure why Katsuro couldn't come but his wife had said it was very important.

So, Gaara sat with his small son on his lap, trying to focus on his paperwork as the little boy sucked on his binky and violently zipped and unzipped the top of Gaara's coat.

"Stop, Katsuro." Gaara said calmly, taking his son's chubby little hands off his zipper.

"Why?" The little boy asked with wide eyes, taking his binky out of his mouth.

Whenever Katsuro was told no, he immediately asked why.

Then he would eagerly listen to the answer, as if it would alter the path of his very life.

Katsuro sat, watching Gaara, ready to hear his father's answer.

"Because I can't focus on my work with you doing that." Gaara said as he resumed.

Katsuro crawled over a little on his father's lap and asked with wider eyes. "Why are you working?"

Gaara smiled at his cute little face. "So that I can protect you, and your sister, and your mother." Just to play with him, Gaara widened his own eyes at his son and said, in the most serious tone, "And the ENTIRE village!"

Katsuro's big eyes widened to the size of saucers, in pure amazement at what his father told him. "Whoa!"

"That's right, so don't pull on my coat, please." Gaara purred.

Katsuro crawled down from his father's lap and Gaara turned back to his work until he was interrupted again.

 **BAM!**

 **BAM!**

 **BAM!**

Gaara scowled and looked over his desk to see Katsuro banging on the front with one of the dull, wood training swords Gaara's subordinates had left in his office earlier.

"Katsuro!" Gaara scolded.

The Kazekage's son looked up, and blinked at his father. "What? I'm not unzipping your coat."

—

After not accomplishing much at his office that afternoon, Gaara finally packed up his son and headed home.

"Come on, son, we're leaving." Gaara said, picking the small boy up.

"Why?" Katsuro asked with his wide eyes.

Gaara smirked. "Because I'm your father and I said so."

"Why?" Katsuro asked quickly.

Gaara kept his smirk and lifted his hand, using the sand to tickle his baby boy's tummy until he laughed. "Because I felt like it."

—

When Gaara arrived home that evening, he found his daughter working on her homework and his wife frowning as she watched her.

"What's wrong?" Gaara asked as he entered the room.

Katsuro reached for Gaara's coat again while he was distracted but Gaara scowled at him and the little boy retracted his tiny fingers.

"We will speak of it after the children are asleep." Asherah said flatly.

Gaara blinked.

Had there been an argument?

Was Seraphina not doing well in lessons?

"Why?" Katsuro asked immediately.

Gaara did not answer, he was too busy trying to read his wife and daughter.

Even his little daughter looked solemn, her lips pouted as she finished her work.

Once the family ate dinner, both Asherah and Gaara tucked their children in and retired to their room.

Just Gaara and Asherah….

Gaara always loved this part of the day, but Asherah's words earlier had made him nervous.

Gaara looked at his wife, indicating he was expecting her to speak.

Asherah paced a moment, in deep thought, before she slowly walked over and sat on the bed, raising her eyes to her husband.

"It is time for Seraphina to be bound." Asherah sighed. "I…...I didn't think this would happen so quickly. Where have the years gone?" The Siren Queen asked, blinking back tears.

"What are you talking about?" Gaara rasped, confused.

"She is old enough now. Her heart grows stronger every day. Each siren is bound by Beauty herself, mind, heart, and body when we become old enough. And according to what her tutors have told me, Seraphina has reached that moment." Asherah explained.

Gaara was still confused.

"So…...what do we do?" The redhead asked.

"I must take her to Beauty." Asherah stated very matter-of-factly.

Gaara sat down beside his wife. "Alright."

"Please, just hope with me that Beauty is pleased by the child." Asherah sighed, looking rather worried.

"What happens if she's not?" Gaara rasped.

Asherah was quiet for a long moment.

Finally, after a disturbing silence, she replied, very softly, the sadness overwhelming in her voice, "Then Beauty will deem her unfit for the sea…...and destroy the child."

Gaara's eyes widened, then they narrowed.

"I'm coming with you." Gaara growled.

"Draga mea, no! You cannot. It is not allowed." Asherah blinked as Gaara pulled her down on the bed, cuddling her close.

"I am coming or Seraphina is not going. That is my final word as Kazekage." Gaara purred, his face buried in Asherah's breasts.

Asherah laughed and ran her fingers through her husband's flame-red hair. "Very well, draga mea, but Beauty will not be pleased."

Gaara held his wife tight and nuzzled into her more, remaining silent.

He knew how set in tradition Asherah's people were, on both sides of her family.

As Kazekage, his wife couldn't stop him from accompanying her and Seraphina on their journey.

There was no way he could get Asherah to back down from having his daughter follow the siren traditions, but no matter what, he would be accompanying his little family to see "Beauty"...

Whoever "Beauty" was…...

There wasn't a creature alive who was going to destroy Gaara's daughter.

They would surely have to destroy him first.


	36. Chapter 36 - Beauty

**Thanks for reading! I don't own any of Naruto! Please let me know if you enjoy!**

— **-**

Preparations for the Kage family's travel were soon underway.

Asherah tried again to reassure Gaara that his accompaniment was not necessary.

His wife may have been the Siren Queen, but the Kazekage's word was still absolute.

Gaara stood by his original decision to attend.

However, Gaara's son was much too young and much too inquisitive to come along.

Young Katsuro was left in Temari's care while his family made the trip.

Once everything had been arranged, Asherah and Gaara left with Seraphina under the cover of darkness one night.

They wanted the fewest amount of people possible to know that Gaara was away.

The trio took no luggage because Asherah insisted they would be home the next day.

Gaara didn't see how that was possible, but he didn't argue.

While the village of Suna slept, Asherah brought Gaara and Seraphina to her room with the large pool in it.

Asherah clamped her hand over Gaara's mouth as the family climbed into her grotto of ocean water, channeled in directly from the Black Sea.

As they descended, the Kazekage was surprised to find that with his wife's hand covering his nose and mouth, he was able to breathe normally under the water.

Was that how Asherah had rescued him all those years ago?

Normally, Asherah would have taken her daughter on a long, languid journey through the deepest parts of the ocean, sharing with her its innermost secrets….

But Gaara's insistence on coming with them hastened their journey.

Unfortunately, because they were in a hurry to get Gaara home, Asherah had to find a way to speed up their trip.

Once they were under the water, the Siren Queen pulled her family to the side, into a rapidly flowing stream of ocean current.

The pressure pushed them into a path that let the Kage family ride along the strong channels in the suction tubes that piped water in and out of Asherah's pool room.

Gaara was both surprised and proud that Seraphina seemed to have no trouble keeping pace with her mother as they rocketed through the sea.

Maybe she really was more Siren than Shinobi.

Gaara shook that thought from his mind for now.

The tube would take them all the way to Skorgan, but Asherah cut off their ride long before then.

With a great effort, the Siren Queen managed to gather enough force to hurl them out of the forceful stream.

They were then ejected rather ungracefully into the ocean.

Asherah pulled a slightly dazed Gaara and Seraphina with her up to the surface.

As Gaara took a deep breath, he looked around.

The family floated idly in the middle of the silent black ocean, under the moonlight.

Asherah was still as she looked out over the surface of the water.

Gaara was confused.

"Mommy, are we lost?" Seraphina asked curiously.

"No, my darling." Asherah said slowly. "We're here."

Gaara blinked.

Here?

They were in the middle of the water…..

Nothing…

No land, no structures, just a desolate sea.

In the patch of ocean they had surfaced from, there wasn't even any coral.

No fish….

No signs of life.

"Take my hand." Asherah told her family, looking from Gaara to Seraphina.

Hesitatingly, her daughter and husband each did as they were told.

"No matter what happens, don't let go." Asherah told them both very seriously.

Seraphina looked at Gaara uneasily.

The little girl wasn't too sure about this and she wanted her father's reassurance.

Gaara put on his most stoic Kazekage face he could manage before his wife jumped up in the water with a huge splash and plunged…..

Down…..

Down…..

Down…...

Down!

Down more and more, faster and faster at inhuman speed, they passed the ocean floor, plowed through a deep undersea trench, until they were so far down, Gaara's chest ached for breath, and his skull threatened to explode from the tremendous underwater pressure.

The Kazekage glanced over at his daughter, who seemed to be faring better than he was at the moment.

Through the rush of salty bubbles, Gaara watched Seraphina's eyes widen in wonder as to how deep they could really go.

It didn't seem to be causing her the discomfort it caused her father.

When Gaara was sure either his lungs would collapse or his brains would be smashed, Asherah suddenly pulled up…..

Up…...

Up…

Up…

Up!

Up until they finally surfaced in a small, black cave with a greenish glow.

The descent and return had actually only been a moment but it felt like an eternity.

Gaara burst from the water gasping for breath, coughing and spluttering.

It had been a very unpleasant moment for him.

He felt his wife put a hand soothingly on his back, "Im sorry, draga mea. I know that was difficult for you, but there is no other way in or out." The Siren Queen cooed to him sympathetically.

Gaara panted as he looked over at his bride, then back at Seraphina, who, like her mother, was fine.

Neither Siren seemed bothered by the treacherous passage.

"Now what?" Gaara rasped.

"Now we go to the throne of Beauty. And we hope that she doesn't wake angry." Asherah said seriously.

Too seriously for Gaara's liking….

—

After the Kage family had climbed out of the water, Asherah led them as they carefully made their way down a long, wet passage.

Gaara and Seraphina both noticed it was intricately inlaid with gold.

The passage ended in a heavy, gilded door.

Asherah stopped just in front of it and clasped a hand over her chest, as if she suddenly had a pain.

It wasn't her heart that hurt, but the Heart of the Sea.

Beauty should be sleeping behind the door, but Asherah could feel something was off….

"What's the matter?" Gaara asked quickly.

Seraphina watched both of her parents, concerned.

"Something's wrong." Asherah gasped. "Beauty…...Beauty's already been awakened."

"By who?" Gaara asked.

Asherah didn't respond, she opened her mouth and sung a few mournful yet hauntingly beautiful notes.

Gaara shivered as the heavy door creaked loudly and slowly, very slowly, cracked open.

Asherah strode boldly in first, followed by Gaara, who held Seraphina's hand in his own.

All three mouths fell open.

Behind the door, there was a massive, black cave, where chilled water lapped around a stone runway in the middle of the room. Behind the stone runway, a wispy curtain of mist concealed a stone stairway. The walls of the cave glittered with black diamonds, their brilliance reflecting off the dark water.

Very eerie….

Gathered around the runway were several people, whom Gaara guessed were all sirens.

He recognized a couple of them.

Several he had not met.

Odessa, Asherah's mother, and Elocin, Asherah's cousin, bobbed in the water, along with a man and a few women Gaara had never seen before.

In the center of the stone runway, a mysterious creature stood, clothed in a damask, gossamer robe.

The black robe fanned around the floor in a perfect circle, hiding the figure of the creature and covering most of the creature's chest up to the neck.

The face of the creature was feminine, but the eyes were cold, piercing, and bright blue, the lips almost white.

The creature was completely bald, without eyelashes or eyebrows, and alabaster scales that resembled those of a fish covered every visible piece of skin on the face, neck, and hands.

Each finger ended in long white talons.

The creature had been talking with those that were already in the room.

About what, Gaara did not know, but the conversation stopped abruptly as soon as the Kage family arrived.

Everyone turned to look at the three newcomers, including the creature.

Though he did not show it behind his scowl, Gaara was horrified.

What was that thing?

Asherah was angry and frightened at the scene they had walked in on.

Her family was here, as keeper of the Heart of the Sea, why had she not been invited to this little party?

Seraphina clung timidly to her father, not knowing what to think.

Gaara clutched his daughter's hand tightly in response, as a silently affirmation he had spoken the truth when he vowed to her the night she was born that he would always protect her.

"What is that?" Gaara rasped to his wife as the creature scowled at the family and crossed its arms.

The fishlike scales around the eyes constricted as it narrowed its sapphire gaze in annoyance.

"That is Beauty." Asherah said breathlessly.

Gaara's wife fell to her knees, her palms down on the cold rock they stood on, a short distance from the pool in the room.

The Kazekage could tell his wife was close to tears.

However, Gaara couldn't tell if the tears were from anxiety or…..reverence.

And Asherah's emotion certainly didn't seem to appease the irritated thing on the runway.

The Kazekage met and returned the creature's glare.

Gaara wasn't a siren.

He wasn't going to bow to this thing.

"Asherah of Skorgan," the creature spoke.

It's voice seemed to ruminate off the cave walls, coming from one but sounding like many, similar to Asherah's voice when she sang, but magnified one hundred times.

Gaara felt the hair stand on the back of his neck.

That thing's voice was chilling to hear.

"Why have you come to me, uninvited?" The voice asked.

Asherah began to whisper in a choked voice from where she knelt. "Because I need your help. I have a child and I need you-"

"Why would I care about any child of yours?" The voice interrupted.

Asherah dared to raise her face from the stone.

Sapphire gaze met sapphire gaze.

"Because she's the first natural born siren in twenty-five years." Asherah replied proudly.

Gaara was surprised.

Was that true?

How were…...sirens created, then?

The creature's scowl turned into a look of amusement. "A siren at birth?"

"Yes." Asherah replied.

The voice's next response made Gaara's heart race in anxious fervor. He had never known real fear until he became a father and experienced the feeling that one of his children may be in danger.

He thought that was the worst feeling in the world, and that was the exact feeling he had as he heard what the creature said next.

Beauty or not, Gaara's fatherly instincts didn't want to let Seraphina anywhere near this thing, even as it moved its white lips and spoke…...

"Bring me the child."


	37. Chapter 37 - So You Wish It

**Thanks for reading! I don't own any of Naruto! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates weekly!**

—

"Gaara, let her go." Asherah whispered from her position on the floor.

The Kazekage scowled at the creature.

What did he have to fear from her?

A long moment passed as Gaara and Beauty glared at each other.

"You are not Siren." Beauty hissed at the Kazekage, her eyes narrowing even further, until they became only blue slits in her scaly face.

"Gaara, let her go!" Asherah whispered urgently.

"Of course I am not a-" Gaara began to retort at Beauty before he was interrupted by a thunderous splash.

A handsome man rose from the water at the far end of the room's pool. His hands slung water off of his face, but once he was dry enough, he opened his arms wide towards all in the room. "I'm here! I made it!"

He had dark, brown hair and darker blue eyes, standing about Gaara's height, his build was quite athletic, and he was clad only in loose, black trousers.

"You're late." Beauty snarled.

"But I did make it!" The man smirked, pointing at Beauty with his index finger.

The man looked at Gaara and Seraphina as he walked a bit closer towards those gathered around the stone runway.

"This is my husband and daughter, Uncle Vannon."

Gaara blinked.

This was a member of Asherah's family she had never mentioned, although he saw Elocin smiling in her shark-like glee from the water.

Oh…..

So, this man was Elocin's father?

"Pleased to meet you, I-" The handsome man began, extending a hand to shake with Gaara.

Unfortunately, before Gaara could formally make his acquaintance, a loud shriek from Beauty interrupted them.

"Late! Husbands! Daughters! Excuses! Look at the lot of you! There's killers on the loose and all you can do is make excuses! That's all you ever do!" The creature called Beauty exclaimed, looking accusingly at each person gathered around her, then at Asherah, her gaze landing on Vannon.

At length she looked away and began to peer at those gathered around the stone runway.

She came first to Asherah's mother.

"Odessa of the Black Sea! Talented enough to tame waves! Ha! It took one man to ruin you!" Beauty spat at Gaara's mother-in-law.

Gaara waited for Odessa to defend herself, but she simply frowned.

Beauty walked over to Asherah's cousin and lifted her from the water by her hair. "Elocin, the great dark siren! I bestowed the wrath of beauty upon you! And what have you done with it?! Nothing! You waste your time playing and frolicking about like a stupid mermaid!"

Elocin's grin faded from her features, replaced by a look of deep despair. "A-actually, there are many things I have-"

"SILENCE!" Beauty snarled, dropping her with a loud plop back into the pool.

"What about me?" The man who Asherah had claimed as her Uncle asked.

Beauty sighed deeply, she walked to the very edge of the stone runway and held out her arms in a grand gesture. "Oh, Vannon! I love you like a son!"

Asherah's uncle frowned and looked very hurt. "Mother, I am your son."

"Well, I'm very old, I can't remember who's my son and who's not! Don't you have anything better to do, then play on my sympathies?!" Beauty almost screamed at him.

"Yes, Mother, but it was you who asked me to come!" Vannon defended himself.

It was no use, Beauty had already moved on.

"And you, Asherah." Beauty said very slowly, lowering her arms to cross them at the bowing Siren Queen.

"You, who call yourself the Queen of Sirens, the Queen of Skorgan, the Queen of this, the Queen of that. Now you're a housewife?! To an ordinary man?! You are the Queen of nothing!" Beauty spat hatefully.

Asherah remained bowing but from the side Gaara could see the anger in his wife's face. "My husband is no ordinary man."

"I don't care what your husband is." Beauty sighed as she turned and began to pace up and down the stone way. "We are in a crisis. A terrible war is coming and I need those that are most capable…. All of you are the best, all of you are the most gifted…...but all of you have failed."

Beauty turned back to face them abruptly. "Sirenkind and all the lands they inhabit are being systematically destroyed as we speak. Are any of you capable of stopping the slaughter? Of saving those at risk?" Beauty laughed. "I bet you can't even save yourselves."

As Kazekage, Gaara was unsettled when he heard Beauty speaking of war and danger.

He looked over at Asherah, who was clearly surprised to hear this.

Why had no one told his wife?

Did Beauty doubt her that much?

Gaara saw the faces of all who were present drop in sadness and fear.

Even Vannon…..

Gaara looked at him closely and wondered…..

Something about him seemed…..different.

He had been summoned here, he had entered through the water with no escort…..

The Kazekage thought….

Were all sirens female?

"You there, man." Beauty called.

Gaara would have to ask his question another day….

That creature was talking to him again.

Beauty eyed Seraphina, whose hand was still clutched tightly in Gaara's. "My time is limited. I will not ask again."

Gaara grit his teeth and prepared to find a way for his family to escape when his eyes widened.

His hand was suddenly empty.

Seraphina let go!

"No!" Gaara shouted, watching in horror as his small daughter walked up to beauty.

His wife grabbed his ankle, preventing him from chasing her.

"She is doing what she feels in her heart, Draga Mea. That is what all sirens are called to do." Asherah whispered.

Tiny Seraphina stepped boldly up to the stone runway and bravely stood in front of the tall, scaly creature that was called Beauty.

Beauty sighed happily as she examined the little girl.

Beauty opened her mouth and sang a few notes.

Seraphina repeated them back.

Beauty smiled and raised an eyebrow.

Beauty reached out a hand and placed her skinny, scale-covered fingers on Seraphina's chest, holding her palm directly over the child's heart.

Beauty took a deep breath in and closed her eyes.

Everyone was watching silently, intently, especially Gaara.

If that thing tried to hurt his little girl…..

At last, Beauty removed her hand and clasped her palms together, opening her eyes.

"Will you please bind her?" Asherah asked, daring to look up from the ground.

"Bind her?" Beauty asked, as if the question had been offensive. "Oh no, no, no. This one will never be bound, can never be bound."

Asherah's face twisted in terror, causing Gaara's scowl to deepen.

Asherah could not imagine why Seraphina had been displeasing to beauty!

Gaara was trying to imagine which sand attack would be best to use as he started to make a stance, already thinking through his necessary hand signals.

"The child is strong of heart and wit. Much more than any of you." Beauty sniffed. "This child will not be bound, she will come and stay with me for a time. I will bring her home when she is ready."

Gaara's eyes almost popped out of his head.

What?!

This thing thought he was going to leave his precious little girl here, in this dank, dark, desolate place under the care of this monster?!

Gaara immediately looked over at his wife for support and found himself in even greater shock…

Asherah was sitting up on the stone, a bright happy smile on her face, as if she had just received the best news. "Oh, thank you! Thank you, so much!"

"You're going to let this thing take our baby?!" Gaara demanded angrily.

"Gaara of Suna, this is an amazing opportunity and an unthinkable honor! How could you hold her back from this?!" Asherah replied.

That apparently wasn't enough to wipe the rage off Gaara's face.

Gaara's bride could tell.

"Very well." Asherah said, narrowing her own eyes at her husband. "Why not ask the child what she wants to do?"

Gaara's anger faded to anxiety.

A part of him was afraid to hear Seraphina's answer.

Yes, he was afraid….

But he had to….

If this was a good opportunity for his daughter, if it was what she wanted, _he_ would be the monster if he refused.

"Seraphina," Gaara called.

The little redhead turned around.

"Is this what you truly want?" Gaara asked.

Seraphina's eyes were bright as she spoke with a smile, "Yes, Daddy, it is. I promise it won't be forever."

Asherah was proud, but Gaara was sad.

Sad but proud.

"So you wish it, so it shall be." The Kazekage replied.


	38. Chapter 38 - Seperated

**Thanks for reading! I don't own any of Naruto! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates weekly!**

—

Gaara was numb while he listened to his wife converse with Beauty and the others in the room about the lurking danger.

Gaara was numb as he watched the small meeting adjourn and then watched Beauty place her scaled hand on Seraphina's tiny shoulder.

Gaara was numb as Beauty took Seraphina and walked with the small red headed girl up the dark stone steps.

Gaara felt almost out of his body as his wife took his hand and covered his mouth, leading him away.

Back down the passage…

Back through that horrible, uncomfortable pressure in the deep ocean…

Back towards Suna.

Gaara felt like a piece of his soul was missing as Asherah prattled on about the murderous hate group that Beauty thought was behind the grim recent events.

Gaara listened silently, but he only caught words here and there.

His mind was on his daughter.

As Asherah began to finish discussing what was going on, she narrowed her eyes at her husband.

She could tell he wasn't really listening.

"What are you thinking, draga mea?" Asherah asked.

Gaara's smokey jade eyes flashed at his wife with heavy sadness and he asked the only question that mattered to him.

"When will Seraphina come home?"

—

"Gaara of Suna, I am disappointed in you." Asherah frowned at her husband, a short while later, as they readied for bed. "You in your position, in your culture, should realize what an amazing opportunity this is. Our daughter has been graced with an incredible chance! Beauty has never offered to mentor anyone! Not even her own children! For her to show that kind of favor to your daughter, that's…" Asherah smiled and started to chuckle with joy when she stopped suddenly.

Gaara was suddenly in her face, nose to nose with her.

Light and joy were gone from his eyes and his gaze was as cold as it had been in his early youth.

The Kazekage's gravely voice was so serious and so dangerous that it chilled Asherah down to her very bones as he spoke, "You've never had to lose like I have."

"Draga mea, I…."

"You don't know the true extent of pain that I do, you've never shouldered the heavy burdens that I have, at least, not in the same way. I never thought that I would have loved ones besides Temari and Kankuro. Much less, a family." The redhead added sadly.

"Gaara….." Asherah frowned.

Th Kazekage pulled away and began to pace in their bedroom.

"I promised my daughter on the night that she was born I would always protect her. I don't like that thing! 'Beauty.' " Gaara sneered. "It's ugly and it's evil, and I don't want my little girl to learn anything from it. I just want her to come home!"

"To be taught by Elocin, the dark siren?! And the old man you hired from Konoha?!" Asherah asked, folding her arms. "There is not much opportunity for her to grow here, at least not now. She is in no danger with Beauty, and if she wishes to come home, all she needs to do is sing. I will hear her wherever she is!"

The Kazekage did not appreciate Asherah's criticism of the Shinobi tutor he had found.

Gaara scowled at his wife. "Will you trade our son away, too? When he grows old enough?"

"Do not speak like that to me!" Asherah hissed as she leapt to her feet in one fluid motion. "You want both of our children to grow to be Shinobi, to be trained killers so you can use them as human weapons!"

"I would never use them as weapons! I want them to be strong and confident! To be able to take my place and yours as leaders of both their heritage lands!" Gaara shouted back.

Asherah grit her teeth as she spoke. "Beauty refused to bind Seraphina. At least this way she has a proper trainer. An unbound siren with no mentor is a plague on this earth. Pull Seraphina from Beauty now and watch! She'll be nothing more than a monster!"

Gaara growled and in a rage that he had not felt for years, grabbed Asherah by the top of her arms, pulled her close and grit his teeth back as he hissed against her lips, "Don't ever call our daughter a monster! Not in front of me."

Asherah's eyes were wide as Gaara released his grip and let her go, looking at her coldly as he stalked off.

"Where are you going?" Asherah asked, just a hint of a shakiness to her voice. "It's time to rest!"

"I cannot possibly sleep tonight." Gaara replied as he walked away, his eyes narrowed as he left the room.

Asherah made a noise between a sigh and a growl as she flopped down onto the bed. "And now, draga mea, neither can I."

—-

Gaara hadn't really meant to be so cruel.

Neither had Asherah.

It was very late, they were both very tired, each of them were anxious and upset, and unfortunately, things had escalated into an argument.

Katsuro was still at Temari's house.

If he had been with his parents, Gaara would have come into his room and watched him sleep.

Gaara did love his children dearly and seeing his little boy resting peacefully would have helped him relax.

But Katsuro was not there.

Gaara frowned.

He would have to retreat to his old thinking place, the roof.

As he made his way to the top of the building, he could feel his rage lessening.

Once he walked out and perched himself at the top of the Kage mansion, the redhead closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

The Kazekage looked up.

The stars were very beautiful in the night sky, glittering silently like fine gems.

His eyes turned back to the sleeping village of Suna as he thought.

Asherah was right, whether Gaara liked Beauty or not, Seraphina had chosen.

He could not let his fatherly protectiveness interfere with her accomplishing all that she could and becoming the best siren or Shinobi she could possibly be.

But he already missed her so….

The two were quite close and he couldn't imagine not seeing her everyday.

Gaara closed his eyes.

And the meeting?

Maybe he should have paid more attention?

What was that…...they had said…?

Remember….

Gaara racked his brain to remember…...

He remembered there had been a lot of dead washing up on the shores of Skorgan…

Killings made to look like sirens were responsible…..

But then sirens had been found among the dead….

Several members of prominent seafaring nations had gone missing…...

Gaara blinked.

Ah…

Yes, now he remembered.

Beauty had spoken about an anti-siren group, a vile and powerful gang who thought that sirens were against nature and should be destroyed….

Gaara's scowl return.

After living through the Akatsuki, he had enough of vile, powerful gangs.

Gaara sighed.

The night was so calm and peaceful….

The attacks were all on seafaring nations.

Gaara thought that Suna, a landlocked desert, would be safe.

As the Kazekage sat on the rooftop, he didn't hear the silent man, dressed in black, scaling the building and peering over the roof edge at the unsuspecting redhead.

Gaara thought wrong.

—

Asherah was very upset, and it took her quite some time, but after awhile, she had finally fallen asleep, laying on one side, hoping her husband would have a change of heart.

On the rooftop, Gaara's frown turned into a small smile.

He loved his family.

He was sorry for the way he had acted, the way he had spoken, and he knew that Asherah was sorry too.

He would allow Seraphina to pursue her interests with Beauty, for now.

And when she came home, he would throw the grandest party that Suna had ever seen.

Gaara grinned.

So grand it would rival a Skorganian Skald…..

He stood from his perch and blinked as he looked over the village one last time.

He would go now and cuddle his wife, even if he still didn't sleep, at least he could hold her in his arms.

When Asherah woke in the morning, they would exchange apologies and make love before he started his day.

Yes, that's exactly what Gaara thought would happen.

As he lifted his foot and took his first step back to Asherah, the black night sky turned into the black world as a silent assault from behind rendered him unconscious.

It was not a Shinobi's attack.

Gaara could neither hear, sense, nor see it coming and his eyes closed before he even hit the ground.

Silent, gloved hands slid around Gaara's lean body and stealthily, whisked him away…

Through the village…..

Past the guards…

Across the desert in record time…

And onto a ship that sailed into the night…..

Gaara was loaded, still unconscious, in a crowded barrack full of others that also lay sleeping.

On deck, the man who had abducted Gaara spoke to another, also clad in all black.

"Was that it then?" He asked. "Is that the last one?"

"Another trip, first." The other man chuckled.

"And then we burn it down?"

The other man laughed. "Once the sirens come, then we burn it down."

Gaara slept, unknowing, below the deck under their feet.

With each roll of the waves he was carried farther away from Suna…..

Farther away from Asherah….


	39. Chapter 39 - Captive

**Thanks for reading! I don't own any of Naruto! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates weekly!**

—

Asherah woke early in the morning and was greatly disturbed when she discovered Gaara was not beside her.

Her insomniac husband almost always slept later than she did…...

The Siren Queen quickly got out of bed and hastily dressed, not taking the time to braid her long, multi-colored hair.

She looked in Gaara's office.

He was not there.

She looked in Gaara's meeting room.

He was not there.

She stopped every one of his subordinates she ran into and asked…

No one had seen him since last night.

Asherah hurriedly left the Kage mansion and headed straight for Temari's house.

As Gaara's sister placed Katsuro in Asherah's arms, Asherah asked if Temari had seen Gaara that morning.

"No, I haven't seen him since you two got back." Temari blinked, narrowing her eyes. "Is everything alright?"

"No, everything is most certainly not alright! Your brother is missing! We had an argument last night…..he went to the rooftop…..but he never came to bed. No one has seen him! Not a single soul! There have been…...disturbances in the lands where sirens reside. We must find Gaara! I fear the worst!" Asherah exclaimed to Temari.

Temari's eyes widened.

Katsuro watched his mother.

"Why?" The Kazekage's small son asked with big, curious eyes.

"Katsuro, not now!" Asherah cried.

"I'll alert Kankuro and Shikamaru." Temari nodded. "We'll hold an emergency meeting and come up with a plan for Suna. Don't you have….tracking methods?"

"Are you referring to the different skills of siren kind?" Asherah asked haughtily, throwing her shoulders back.

"Um, yeah." Temari replied.

"Of course we do!" Asherah snapped.

"Then why don't we work on Suna and you work on tracking Gaara?" Temari asked.

"That sounds like an excellent idea. Thank you for your help." Asherah replied, bowing politely, but her chin was still held high and proud.

She turned, her skirts elegantly sweeping behind her as she headed home with her son now in her arms.

Temari immediately went to call Kankuro.

Then she told her husband, Shikamaru, what had happened and asked him to help with some emergency planning.

They could not let Suna's enemies discover Gaara was missing.

—

Asherah thought furiously as she walked along.

Tracking…..

Tracking…..

Finding things that were lost….

Sirens were more comfortable as scavengers.

Not trackers.

Locating people, locating things, wasn't really their specialty.

But…..

Asherah did think of someone who may be able to help her.

Maybe…..

Asherah was happy Elocin was still dating Kankuro, and therefore, still in Suna.

Her cousin, the dark siren, did have useful several skills after all….

—

Asherah dropped Katsuro off with one of Gaara's subordinates who sometimes filled in as a caretaker for the boy and immediately ran to her large room with the pool in it, deep below the Kage mansion.

"Cousin!" Asherah called. "Cousin! I need you!"

A high-pitched, gleeful chuckle filled the room as Elocin's white eyes peered at Asherah from the water. "Never thought this day would come, Asherah of Skorgan~."

Asherah ignored that comment. "Someone has taken Gaara! I need you to find him!"

"Well, how should I know where he is?" Elocin blinked.

"You're the dark siren, the holder of the wrath of beauty! Your eyes see everything and nothing!" Asherah exclaimed. "Tell me where he is!"

A deep chuckle rumbled from the water where Elocin was positioned, "I hold the wrath of beauty to strike down the wicked, not to find lost puppies. You will have to find _draga mea_ on your own." Elocin smirked.

Asherah's face twisted as she felt her heart sink. "Very well."

"Trust your heart, Asherah. That's all you have to do~." Elocin hinted, flashing a shark-like grin before she disappeared back into the dark water.

—

Asherah quickly sent a message to Temari, and then she went to Gaara's office.

She looked over at his sand gourd that sat in the corner.

She walked over, picked it up, and hugged it tightly as if it were Gaara himself.

Asherah closed her eyes…

Gaara…

Gaara had left the sand gourd here….

If Gaara had been taken on land, awake, he could have used the sand in the area to retrieve his gourd, to fight…...

To abduct Gaara without his gourd must mean…

Asherah's sapphire eyes shot open.

They took Gaara unconscious.

There had been no sign anywhere of a struggle.

There had been no trails leading out of Suna.

Perhaps, they even took him by sea….

Well…...

That at least gave her a place to start looking.

—-

While Kankuro and Temari grappled with the obstacles Gaara's absence posed, Asherah launched herself into her pool, and plunged deep into the Black Sea.

The Siren Queen sighed as she let the ocean push and pull her body, lift her skirts, flow through her hair, moving her at will.

She closed her eyes, surrendering to it…..

The heart of the sea….

She needed to feel…..

To reach out…

Gaara was hers.

Gaara belonged only to her and she to him.

Under the water, Asherah sucked a breath into her lungs.

Yes…..

It was here they had taken him.

It was here, _he_ was here, somewhere in the deep ocean, she could feel it.

She could if she tried…...

Asherah turned her head in the water, gently rotating her body while she floated.

Not to the east…..

Not to the south…..

Not to the west….

Without opening her eyes, she began to swim at incredible speed in the direction she felt Gaara's faint aura.

In the direction the ocean told her…...

The north.

They had Gaara, whoever they were, and they were indeed, headed north.

Asherah opened her eyes and grit her teeth as she rocketed through the thick, salty water.

With or without Gaara, with or without her children, Asherah was still the siren queen and she could be a fierce adversary.

Beauty said there was a group that sought to destroy sirens….

Asherah knew these were probably the people responsible for Gaara's abduction….

Asherah's sapphire eyes narrowed.

These people may want to destroy sirens….

But this time, they had picked the wrong one.

—

Aboard the ship, something deep inside Gaara stirred.

Chakra.

Nightmarish visions flashed through his mind as his chakra began to flow through his body faster, trying to warn him.

Perhaps it had something to do with his past as a jinchuuriki.

Maybe for another Shinobi, it would not have worked the same.

But whatever the cause was, Gaara was able to snap his smokey jade eyes open and look around.

He clenched his body when he realized he was feeling a nauseating rolling motion as he was rocked back and forth.

Crowded, dark, he seemed to be in the hold of a ship, but why?

Who did this?

Looking around, he found it difficult to count how many others there were in that dank place with him…...

…..and they were all asleep.

What did his captors want with him, with all these other people?

Gaara reached out and grabbed a nearby post.

Clutching onto it, he pulled himself until he was upright. He hugged it tightly, trying to collect his thoughts.

Alright…

He had been taken out of Suna and apparently these others were also kidnapping victims.

What did they all have in common, though?

Gaara frowned, seeing that he was the only one awake.

What about his family?

Gaara scowled.

Had his abductors hurt them?

Had they hurt his village?

His people?

Had his abductors done something to Suna and its citizens?

Gaara looked around for something he could use.

He had been taken without his gourd, and from the inside of the ship, going at that speed, it would be very difficult to use sand from the ocean floor.

It would be much easier if there was a beach Gaara could pull it from.

Gaara thought quietly for a moment.

He was the Kazekage.

He had survived many difficult battles, led armies in war.

He could figure out a way off of this ship and back home.

"Gaara! Hey, Gaara! Is that you?!" A familiar voice whispered from behind him.

Gaara's eyes widened.

He thought he was the only one awake…..

The redhead turned slowly and his jaw dropped in surprise.

Behind him, a dazed but optimistic blonde man stood on equally shaky legs.

The blonde's discomfort and their current predicament did not affect his usual bright smile, though.

"Naruto!" Gaara gasped.


	40. Chapter 40 - Kages and Sirens

**Thanks for reading! I don't own any of Naruto! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates weekly!**

—

As Asherah rocketed through the water, eyes still closed, Gaara's presence became stronger and stronger.

Yes, she could fell he was close but she needed more details….

They weren't great trackers, no, but sirens did love using music as a tool.

Asherah opened her mouth and began to sing a few notes, letting the sound of her song bounce off the ocean floor and echo off the coral, ricochet against the sea creatures, to help her pinpoint Gaara's exact location.

After rushing and swirling, soaring and diving, through thousands of gallons of deep ocean, Asherah suddenly came to a dead stop.

Under the water, she let out a breath and sighed.

She was here.

She had found Gaara.

She could feel it.

She rotated slowly in the water and opened her eyes, her bright sapphires flickering up, up, up, to see the ship that floated on the surface above her.

Asherah saw the rusty metal chain in the water, the men on the ship had dropped anchor.

Asherah's pink lips curved into a smile.

Yes, Gaara was there, on the ship.

She knew.

—-

"I thought I was the only one awake!" Gaara exclaimed, looking at Naruto on board the ship.

The Kazekage's smokey jade eyes were wide in happy shock at finding his friend in a place where he thought he was truly alone.

"So did I!" Naruto grinned, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand nervously. "But…...where are we, anyway?"

"We've been taking hostage by a hate group that wants to destroy sirens." Gaara said, very seriously, in his gravelly voice.

"Huh? You mean, like Asherah?" Naruto blinked.

"Asherah and all of those like her, yes." Gaara nodded. "Before my abduction, I was notified of some recent attacks on other nations that sirens lived in or around. Since Asherah is my wife, it makes sense that they would take me to draw her out."

"But why did they take me? She's not my wife." Naruto asked out loud, narrowing his eyes.

"Why are we both awake?" Gaara added.

"Do you think it has anything to do with…" Naruto asked, his voice trailing off.

Gaara and Naruto exchanged a sad, silent gaze as their tortured pasts replayed through their minds.

"I am no longer a jinchuuriki." Gaara reminded him.

"I know, but, that doesn't mean it didn't leave an impact on your chakra. It has to have something to do with it! How else are we both similar?!" Naruto asked.

He raised his voice but none of those who were still sleeping stirred.

"I am not sure." Gaara admitted.

Both were silent for another long moment as they thought.

"I have an idea to get us out of here." Naruto smiled at Gaara triumphantly.

"So do I." The Kazekage replied with a smirk.

—

In the water below, Asherah threw herself at the ship, hands outstretched, intending to make contact with the hull so she could make her way to the deck…..

On board, Naruto prepared to use his ninjutsu to open a hole in the ship wall for Gaara to rescue them by using sand on the ocean floor….

Asherah's fingers stretched, about to brush the wood…

Naruto made his hand sign…

Asherah's sapphire eyes widened as an electrical shock forced her hand away from the boat.

Naruto's eyes widened as….nothing happened.

Naruto grit his teeth, took his stance, made his hand sign, and tried again.

Asherah narrowed her eyes and again, stretched her hand out.

The same electrical shock.

The same nothing for Naruto.

Gaara blinked at his friend.

"What's the matter?" He rasped.

"I can't…." Naruto frowned, furrowing his brow.

He tried again.

And again.

And again.

Another form, another hand sign.

Another way.

Naruto tried everything he possibly could, but nothing happened.

"I….I can't do anything. I can't use ninjutsu at all here!" Naruto admitted, his eyes wide.

Gaara had no sand.

If ninjutsu wasn't an option, Naruto and Gaara would have to escape using taijutsu.

While both were skilled enough at that, it worried Naruto that they knew nothing about the enemy.

What weapons did their captors have?

What abilities?

For that matter, how many were there, on the ship?

"Let me try." Gaara offered, his smokey jade eyes scanning Naruto's face.

It wasn't that often that the Hokage looked so worried.

Naruto's apprehension made Gaara feel the situation was all the more urgent.

Gaara made his hand signal.

Nothing.

He tried again.

Nothing.

His face was tense and solemn as he looked at Naruto, silently confirming his discovery.

Naruto's eyes narrowed in seriousness.

No, ninjutsu would not help them now, they would have to fight their way out, hand-to-hand.

—

Asherah hissed and twirled in the water underneath the boat.

What a cruel situation indeed, to know where a captive loved one sat, possibly injured, needing rescue, and to be barred from that place.

Asherah inhaled a moment and grew still in the water, floating there, under the ship, suspended.

What to do?

What to do?

In a rush of bright colors, a school of fish rushed past her.

The next thing Asherah knew, she was swept up into a thick net.

The Siren Queen smiled.

Ah.

Her answer had arrived.

—

Some of the men responsible for Gaara and Naruto's abductions heard voices and movement below the deck.

"Hey! What's going on down here?" A short, portly man asked as he stomped down the stairs. "Everyone should still be sleeping."

His eyes fell on Gaara and Naruto.

"What are you two doin-ACK!" He was cut off mid sentence as Naruto rushed in and attacked, hitting a nerve that swiftly rendered the man unconscious.

The Hokage nodded over at his friend and Gaara quickly followed him as they cautiously made their way to the top of the stairs, peering out over the deck.

Both seemed a little uneasy at how many gang members bustled about from one end of the ship to the other.

But Naruto and Gaara were two of the Kages.

Of course, they could defeat them without ninjutsu.

It would have just made things so much easier if they didn't have to…..

—

"What's that in the net?!" Asherah heard a man shout.

He could see an arm, a leg.

Asherah smirked, as she lay among the fish, waiting.

These foolish men would bring her up and then she would sing her song…..

Afterwards, she could collect Gaara and return home.

This would all be over.

"Is that a person?!" Another called as the net was plopped onto the deck.

Several gang members gathered around as the man who appeared to be the leader stomped over and roughly grabbed Asherah's hand, pulling her up by the wrist.

"No." He sneered as Asherah's sapphire eyes flashed at him. "It's a siren."

A few feet away, secretly watching from the stairs that led down below, Naruto and Gaara watched the scene unfold.

"Asherah!" Gaara whispered as his wife was pulled to her feet in front of his eyes.

"Quiet, Gaara." Naruto murmured.

He didn't want to see his friend hurt either, but no one else knew they were awake yet and Naruto would prefer it stayed that way.

Asherah had no idea that Gaara could see her, but as the evil man snarled at her, she knew exactly what to do…..

Now!

Asherah opened her mouth to sing.

The color drained from her face as she found her throat suddenly dry and patched.

She tried again.

Nothing.

Horror flooded Asherah's eyes.

A siren without a song was defenseless.

Never had she had her voice stripped from her before!

"I'm afraid that won't work on this ship, sweetheart." The man sneered. In one brutal motion, he slammed Asherah against the boat and called to the others. "Put her below with the rest and we'll burn her too when the time comes."

The Kazekage flinched and grit his teeth as he heard his wife's body collide with the ship.

Gaara looked over at Naruto.

As someone slung the limp siren queen over their shoulders, both Gaara and Naruto retreated to the bottom of the stairs, seeing men start to walk towards them.

At the bottom of the stairs, both Kages readied themselves to fight.

Yes, it would actually be easier in this situation if their enemies came like this, one by one.

Gaara's smokey jade eyes narrowed dangerously.

Asherah…...

These people would pay for treating his beloved bride like that.


	41. Chapter 41 - Escape

**Thanks for reading! I don't own any of Naruto! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates weekly!**

—

Asherah felt the rough hands of the gang members wrapping around her, scraping her off the deck where she had fallen.

Her eyelids fluttered, as the siren queen clung to consciousness,

Escape…..

She had to escape.

She needed help.

Gaara…

Gaara could help, should be able to help, but….

Apparently, Gaara was having trouble….

Had these men hurt him?

She knew he wasn't dead, she could feel him close….

She had been beaten, her song stripped away….

Never before had…...

How did they take her song?

As the gruff men who held her dragged her towards the stairs leading down to the room below, Asherah hazily blinked her heavy eyes.

She saw the cracks in the ship railing.

She could hear the water rolling gently beneath them.

The siren queen raised her hand to her lips and using her incisors, bit down sharply on the inner tip of her ring finger.

As she passed by, she was quick to squeeze that finger, allowing a single drop of blood slip from her into the sea.

Escape….

She had to escape, Gaara had to escape, but they could not do it alone.

The siren queen needed to call on her people.

—-

While Asherah was being transported, Gaara and Naruto stood, ready to take on their approaching enemies.

A couple of the gang members rushed down the stairs to check on their victims.

Their eyes widened when they saw Naruto and Gaara standing there.

Hey! You're supposed to be-"

 _ **THWACK!**_

Naruto quickly silenced the first man, landing a direct hit on the sensitive nerves in his neck with one blow.

He would be paralyzed for hours.

The man who was directly behind him began to bang loudly on the dingy, metal stairs to warn the others.

"Oi! Above! There's trouble down here! Help! Help! He-!"

Naruto moved to strike but found that Gaara was quickly in front of him, swiftly and skillfully delivering an equally devastating hit to the man's chest, causing him to bang his head forcefully against the cold stair railing.

The man fell to the ground unconscious.

Naruto looked a little surprised.

Sure, Gaara was Kazekage, but everyone knew that ninjutsu was his specialty.

Naruto did not realize his friend had undergone all of the training that he had in taijutsu.

Naruto smiled proudly at Gaara in approval.

Gaara blinked at him. "Did you think I would let you have all the fun?" He asked in his gravelly voice.

The friendly moment soon passed.

Unfortunately for the two Kages, the man's cries for help had not gone unheard.

A great rustling was heard above as men bustled about, scrambling to peer down into the dark room.

Gaara and Naruto's smiles and friendly banter soon gave away to focused scowls as they saw dozens and dozens of eyes peering at them from the top of the steps.

This was not a good place to fight.

Facing a crowd of enemies this big in such cramped quarters put all of the other abduction victims at risk and neither the Hokage nor the Kazekage enjoyed hurting the innocent.

"Leader! There are two men awake down there!" Once man shouted.

There was no differentiating between the enemies they currently faced, they all had the same short haircuts and wore the same all black, nondescript clothing.

Gaara and Naruto heard heavy footsteps pass over their heads as someone approached…

"Oh my…..what have we here?" A rough voice chuckled as the crowd parted to make way for a very large, very foreboding looking man.

From the way the others cast their eyes down and seemed to hang on every word that he said, Gaara and Naruto surmised that he must be the leader.

Gaara narrowed his eyes to slits.

The man addressing them now was the one who had hurt his beloved wife.

"Leader!" The first man shouted.

Yes, they had surmised correctly.

"They are awake, how can this be?!" The first man asked in horrified amazement.

"That doesn't matter now, does it? Skip the last stop, burn it now." The other man commanded, flashing a dangerous grin.

"B-b-but…..we're not…." The first man stuttered.

"We are all prepared to die here, are we not? Burn it now! The girl has the heart of the sea. If we kill her, the others will soon follow."

Gaara's eyes widened

Naruto's narrowed.

"There's no way you're going to get rid of us that easily! Do you even know who we are?!" The blonde snarled angrily, jumping and racing up the stairs.

"NOW." The man who called himself leader commanded in a firm, slow voice.

"I'm the Hokage of Konoha! The strongest Shinobi nation in the world!" Naruto cried as he pulled his arm back, preparing to strike the man who called himself "leader".

As Naruto closed in for his attack, he could feel the stairs shaking, hear the rusty metal creaking as Gaara followed close behind him.

But out of the corner of his eyes, Naruto also saw two gang members standing in the middle of the ship.

Out of his peripheral vision, Naruto watched as they dropped something red and orange onto the boat.

The Hokage and the Kazekage were used to battle, they were both used to being in life-threatening situations.

But in some ways, being trapped there, hopelessly in the middle of the ocean on that rickety ship with the hate group, in some ways they felt worse now than they did when they had fought the Akatsuki.

Naruto and Gaara both felt their hearts skip a beat as the ship began to be engulfed into flames.

As the fire started to spread, Gaara's first instinct was to fear for his wife.

As his fist came crashing into the man's jaw, Naruto's first instinct was to fear for everyone.

—

The drop of blood from the siren queen did not go unnoticed.

A great, ominous pulse echoed throughout the ocean, beckoning to all those who could call themselves "siren".

Even above the water, deep in the bowels of Beauty's grotto, Asherah's cry was still heard.

"Mother is in trouble." Seraphina said as a sudden chill went down her spine. "Please, may I go to her?"

"But I have just started today's lesson." Beauty scowled.

"Please?! I have the most horrible feeling, just let me see that she's alright and I'll return to you as soon as she's safe!" Seraphina begged, her teeth chattering from the chill.

Beauty's scowl was replaced by a smile.

Beauty chuckled. "Very well, then, little one. If that is what your heart is truly telling you~."

In an instant, Seraphina left Beauty's grotto, plunging into the black depths below to go and find her mother.

Asherah was still the siren queen, she still held the heart of the sea, and as such, a single drop of her blood ruminated throughout the ocean, alerting all of those like her that there was indeed, grave danger.

A child as young as Seraphina should not have been able to feel such a call, especially since at the time, she was not even in the ocean.

But Seraphina was her mother's daughter.

She was gifted.

Beauty smirked as the little girl left.

Ah, what a promising young student she had been given!

—

For the many others that happened to be submerged in the sea, the single drop of blood that asherah shed rang out like an alarm.

Sirens from all parts of the ocean immediately turned their heads and began to swim at an alarming pace towards the area, deep in the icy sea, where Asherah had sent out her distress signal.

It wasn't so much that they were answering for her.

Though they did not carry it as she did, all siren kind was bound to the heart of the sea itself.

They had to answer.

It was instinctual for them to come, to obey.

Gaara had never really witnessed first hand the extent of the siren's dark side, except for what he had seen from Elocin.

As the horde of Asherah's brethren approached, that dark side began to merge more and more.

By the time the sirens made it to the ship, their mouths were opened in long, loud hisses as they saw the flames.

Their bodies tensed as they readied themselves for a fight, veins threatening to burst from their skin.

Faster and faster, closer and closer, they thundered through the water, pushing past thousand of gallons of pressure in a relentless pursuit to rescue, to kill, to do anything it took to obey the call…

As the water bubbled and rocked, overfull with the vast army approaching, the gang members looked a bit anxious.

Gaara and Naruto halted their attack in surprise.

The leader spit out blood, holding his jaw as he spoke with a snarl, his eyes still fixed on Naruto and Gaara, "Told you."


	42. Chapter 42 - Well Done

**Thanks for reading! I don't own any of Naruto! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates weekly!**

Everyone on the boat stood still for a single moment…..

In the sea below, angry Sirens began to board the ship and climb…..

When the flames started to blaze across the deck, creeping up the mast, the gang members fell into a panic.

Gaara scowled as he watched the criminals run around hopelessly, screaming to be saved.

Cowards, he thought.

They were cowards.

"Get a hold of yourself, men!" The leader shouted, trying to rally his fear-stricken crew.

The ship's men ran from here to there on the boat, screaming in unimaginable horror behind the curtains of the flames.

Siren after siren made their way onto the deck, grabbing each man one by one and dragging them down into the depths of the black sea below.

Naruto and Gaara couldn't really see what was going on, so they just assumed the men were screaming about the fire.

They did hear splashes of water, but Gaara thought that men were simply jumping overboard into the sea below out of cowardice.

"I'll be back." Gaara rasped to Naruto, before he disappeared into the crowd.

"I'll be waiting." Naruto smirked before he took a stance, pulled his arm back, and prepared to launch his next attack.

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the few men who remained around him, a broad grin on his face.

He knew that Gaara was going to rescue Asherah, even though his friend hadn't said it, Naruto would do the same if Hinata were in Asherah's place.

After Asherah was safe, with Gaara closer to the open ocean, the three of them could ride the sand from the sea floor all the way home.

—-

Gaara ducked swiftly and carefully through the small margins between rows of flames to make his way to the place he had last seen Asherah.

His eyes widened when he witnessed the man who had beaten Asherah be thrown overboard by a woman….

Was that Gaara's wife?

No…

The woman turned to face Gaara with a long, low growl.

Her eyes were wild like an animal's.

Her hair was soaked from the sea, hanging in wet strands around her body, her elegant clothing mangled from the water, her face would have been beautiful if it hadn't been twisted in a horrible scowl.

"Asherah?" Gaara asked.

Was that…

Gaara's eyes widened as the woman growled again and in one fluid motion shot herself forward, knocking Gaara to the ground.

The Kazekage's eyes went wide as she let out a horrible yell that splattered Gaara's face with saliva.

No, this thing was not Asherah.

The creature dove down to attack and from the look in her eye, Gaara knew she would rip his throat out if she could.

That he could not allow.

She was strong, though.

Too strong, unnaturally strong, and in that moment, Gaara couldn't throw her off, so he instinctively brought his wrist up to shield his neck.

A hoarse cry ripped from his throat as the creature bit down, tearing through his flesh.

Gaara hissed and thrashed but she didn't let go.

Her teeth sunk deeper and deeper until he was positive she would be gnawing on his bones.

In front of him, Gaara felt relief flood his system as he watched Asherah emerge and brave the rows of fire, holding a heavy chunk of wood.

With one triumphant swing, Asherah promptly brought it down against the creature's head, knocking her sideways, releasing him.

Suddenly it was over.

Gaara hissed at the pain from his wounded arm as he heard Asherah mumble to the whimpering creature, "Sorry about that Rasva, but not this one. This one is special to me, I'm afraid."

Gaara sat up quickly.

"Asherah?" Gaara asked as he looked back and forth from his wife to the creature.

"It is I, draga mea. Hurry, we must go quickly." Asherah urged him, ripping off a piece of Gaara's coat, she quickly began to tie it around his bleeding arm.

Gaara watched her face as she did.

Asherah's eyes were not the same, they were also wild, wild like the creature's that had just attacked him, wild like Rasva's.

"What is this?" Gaara asked as it dawned on him to look around.

There were many more of those creatures, like Rasva, hissing and growling and prowling the boat.

Realization hit Gaara.

They were here to fight, to fight this gang.

Sirens….

They were all sirens.

"This is a raid, Gaara of Suna. Did you think my kind can allow these men to exist? Especially after they've slaughtered us, stolen from us?" Asherah's eyes fluttered down below the deck, referring to Gaara, Naruto, and all of the others who had been abducted. "I am still the Siren Queen. Sirens are not known throughout the world for our kindness."

"They set the fire on purpose to lure you all here, it's a trap!" Gaara shouted as Asherah and he began to run, ducking through the flames.

Gaara guided them as best he could back towards the place in which he had last left Naruto.

"What these men did not realize is it is their own

murderous ideas that will be their undoing. Sirens are not hated for their songs or their greed. Sirens are hated for their lust. For millennia, my kind has roamed the sea and taken many men down to their deaths, using music, using deceit. These men have tried to deceive us and strip us of our music, to lead to our own deaths! What choice do we have?!" Asherah cried triumphantly.

Gaara looked at her.

"We must resort to the old ways. Sometimes you have to repeat history to move forward." Asherah said, rather sadly, as all around them, Gaara noticed the terrified, pained screams began to quiet as one by one, the siren horde dealt with the gang members, dragging all they found into the sea.

Through the fire, Gaara got a glimpse of the man who called himself "leader" trying to look threatening as an entire circle of sirens slowly closed in on him, waiting to take him overboard.

Above them, through the smoke, Gaara could vaguely see Naruto clutching a ship mast that had been fortunate enough to so far avoid the flames.

"Take us home, draga mea, I cannot bear to watch anymore. Use the sand that lines the sea." Asherah said sadly, covering her eyes as the circle closed in on "leader", before he was hauled overboard with a terrifying, desperate scream.

Gaara was just about to make his hand signal when he stopped and stared straight ahead.

"Gaara, hurry! What are…." Asherah began before she too, stopped and looked forward.

There, a few feet away, stood Seraphina looking at them.

"Mother! Father!" The young siren cried, running towards them and embracing them both, hugging them around their waists.

"Why is she here?" Gaara rasped to Asherah as he returned his daughter's hug.

He was thrilled to see her, but the scene around him was one he had hoped his children would never have to bear witness too, at least not so young.

"She is my daughter too, Gaara. She must have heard my call and Beauty released her." Asherah replied.

Gaara saw the hint of disappointment at Beauty's judgement in his wife's eyes.

"Hey, Gaara! A little help?!" Naruto asked while he clung to the mast for dear life.

"What is Naruto doing here?!" Asherah shouted in surprise as she looked up and saw her old friend.

"Never mind that now, lets go!" Gaara shouted, clutching his wife and daughter to his side, Gaara quickly used the sand from the bottom of the sea, allowing it to billow underneath them as a comfortable means of transport.

They traveled up and up, snagging Naruto from the mast before beginning their journey home, riding the cloud of sand.

"Hey! What about the others?! They were still asleep! They don't have a chance!" Naruto cried as the ship disappeared behind them into the distance.

"They'll be fine." Asherah replied calmly. "Each person was someone taken from a siren. Those who have come tonight will see to each victim's awakening and safe return."

Naruto narrowed his eyes a little suspiciously, but Asherah just gave him a steady, confident gaze and he decided to take her word for it.

Between the two of them, she definitely knew more about the oceans and its creatures.

As they rode along, Seraphina clutched onto her father's coat and he knelt down beside of her.

"Daddy, you're hurt! I don't want to leave you and mommy again! I do want to learn all I can, but I want to be home too." Seraphina frowned.

The pain from his arm seemed to vanish and Gaara's smokey jade eyes went soft as he looked at his daughter. "Then why don't you ask your new teacher if you can be with her during the day and still come home every night for dinner? You can use the same path in the sea that your mother does to get back and forth."

Seraphina looked hopefully at Asherah for reassurance.

"As long as Beauty agrees, my child. A Siren must always follow her heart." Asherah smiled, kissing Seraphina's head.

As the four headed back towards the Shinobi lands, all of them were overcome with relief.

It had been a battle, but it was nothing like the wars they had all lived through, except small Seraphina.

Seraphina was fortunate enough to not yet have experienced what war truly was.

—-

What Asherah had told Naruto and Gaara was true.

On that night, each and every member of the gang dedicated to ridding the world of sirens gave up on their mission.

And each and every person who had been abducted was returned home safely.

The ship burned down to the last plank of wood, leaving a clear and calm ocean behind as the sun rose the following morning.

Naruto was helped to quickly return to Konoha, much to his family's and his people's relief.

Gaara was also fondly greeted when he, Asherah, and Seraphina made it back to Suna.

Katsuro was glad to see his parents back and they both chuckled at the barrage of questions he immediately hurled at them both.

While Gaara received treatment for his injured arm, Seraphina went to Beauty, and the little siren was quite elated when her newest teacher gave her permission to live with her family while she trained.

Beauty had never taken a student before.

Ordinarily, there was no way she would have allowed Seraphina to go back and forth between the grotto and her father's home, but as Seraphina left to go deliver the happy news, Beauty smiled.

Beauty knew that Asherah had used the heart of the sea to gather the sirens and defeat the enemy that threatened to annihilate them.

She was pleased.

In fact, she was so impressed at the siren queen's actions that she was willing to give her her child back and remain her little one's private tutor.

Beauty smiled to herself after Seraphina left, "Well, done Asherah of Skorgan, well done."


End file.
